Isabel Leonard is recognized as one of the brightest stars in the opera world for her vocal beauty and vocal fireworks. After years of exploring Mozart and the baroque repertoire, Leonard is moving into new territory this season. She recently made her role debut as Adalgisa in Bellini’s “Norma” and last week she made her role debut as Charlotte in {…}
This review is for the performance on Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. Verdi’s famed overture for his first masterwork “Nabucco” starts off with a few brass calls followed by a massive explosion of sound a few bars later. From there Verdi’s music traverses the contrast between a glorious melody clamoring for peace and one of military drive. It is this contrast between {…}
Ailyn Perez will maker her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut on March 9 in a special one night gala celebrating Placido Domingo. The soprano will join Domingo in Act two of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” a role she has been acclaimed for all over the world. In the second part of the gala Perez will join Domingo for popular arias and {…}
Jonas Kaufmann has cancelled his participation in the Grand Opening Concerts with the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg this January. The announcement was made via Twitter as the company announced that Kaufmann is still ill. Elbphilharmonie stated “@tenorkaufmann has withdrawn from his appearances at our Grand Opening concerts in January due to illness. We wish him a speedy recovery! However, it was announced {…}
There is never a dull moment in the opera world as singers are constantly traveling and exploring new locations. While some singers are preparing for their holiday seasons, others are already preparing upcoming roles or recitals. Lets take a look at where some of the most popular stars were in this week’s Social Media Beat. Pretty Yende The South African {…}
The weekend is upon us and that means many operas will be presented around the world. Many theaters will offer holiday presentations while some of the greatest singers return to the stage such as Renee Fleming, Simon Keenlyside, Rolando Villazon, Anna Netrebko, Rene Pape and Nina Stemme. Austria Simon Keenlyside returns to the Vienna State Opera for Verdi’s “Macbeth” with the {…}
Nicholas Phan will launch the New Year with his fourth solo album, “Gods & Monsters” for Avie Records. The album features his frequent collaborator Myra Huang on piano. The recording sees Phan sing a wide-ranging program of German lieder inspired by fairy tales, traversing both familiar and lesser-known works by Schubert, Brahms, Mahler, Beethoven, Schumann, Wolf and Mendelssohn. According to Phan the recording was inspired by the young people and stated, “As more {…}
Ludwig Van Beethoven turned 246 on Friday, Dec. 16. Upon his death in 1827, the composer left behind veritable masterpieces of classical music. His most famous works are his nine symphonies, his piano sonatas and concertos and his string quartets. There was also one opera, “Fidelio.” The composer is said to have struggled to create this singular work, creating three {…}
Decca announced Aida Garifullina’s new album scheduled for release next year. The record company announced the new CD via social media and stated that the first single was available today via Youtube. Decca compiled together clips from Garifullina’s performances of Gounod’s “Je Veux Vivre” from “Romeo et Juliette. The video includes clips from two operaball performances and one from this year’s Bastille {…}
The holiday season means that few opera companies are in full swing in the United States. Thankfully, as the case last weekend, there are still operas pulling out the stops to ensure that opera-hungry audiences are not left famished. Here are the opera companies in the US. On Friday, the Metropolitan Opera showcases its second performance of Verdi’s “Nabucco” starring {…}
Joseph Calleja has revealed that he is recording a new Verdi album for Decca. The tenor revealed that a Verdi album was in the works via his Twitter account on Wednesday. “Recording today our Verdi Album in Valencia with #vittoriovitelli #ramontebar,” he wrote. On Thursday, he put a picture on Instagram alongside famed Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu stating “Today recording {…}