https://operawire.com/5-soprano-roles-that-joyce-didonato-has-made-her-own/
Joyce DiDonato is a fierce artist and one of the finest of the 21st century. She didn’t land at the number one spot of our top singers of 2017 list for no reason. DiDonato, born on Feb. 13, has been the champion of all people and in the opera world she has shown an ability to slip from one piece {…}
https://operawire.com/q-a-bass-andrea-mastroni-on-handel-his-modernity-complexity-of-interpretation/
Andrea Mastroni is not just a bass. The Italian artist actually spent a great portion of his studies as an aesthetic philosopher, working to deepen his understanding of musical texts. In an interview last year with OperaWire, he noted that this was essential to his ability to be a performer and interpreter. “Learning philosophy makes you think constantly about everything you {…}
https://operawire.com/artist-of-the-week-malin-bystrom-takes-on-the-complexities-of-salome-at-the-royal-opera-house/
Salome is widely considered one of the most challenging roles in the soprano repertoire. It’s not only a vocal tour de force but a chance to showcase a soprano’s dramatic force. This week, Swedish soprano Malin Byström returns to the Royal Opera House making her house role debut as Strauss’ “Salome” after stunning critics and audiences in the role at the {…}
https://operawire.com/6-fun-facts-about-the-career-of-giacomo-lauri-volpi/
Giacomo Lauri-Volpi is one of the most celebrated tenors in history, encompassing a wide-ranging repertoire and lengthy career. Lauri-Volpi, born on Dec. 11, 1892, was born in Lanuvio, Italy and found himself an orphan at just 11 years of age. From there he would build himself up under baritone Antonio Cotogni, and eventually find international acclaim. His career is one {…}
https://operawire.com/best-gifts-for-holiday-2017-anna-netrebko-jonas-kaufmann-placido-domingo-maria-callas-cddvds-among-major-highlights/
It’s the holiday season and that means gift buying and making difficult choices. As a result, OperaWire has lightened the task as we chose albums from some of our favorite artists and our key recommendations from the hundreds of releases from 2017. Maria Callas If you are going to spend money this year, Maria Callas: The Live Recordings is OperaWire’s {…}
https://operawire.com/cd-dvd-releases-week-of-november-13-renee-fleming-rolando-villazon-elina-garanca-headline-new-releases/
With the holiday season approaching, this will be filled with numerous DVDs and CDs to choose from. Many of opera’s top star in the releases including Sonya Yoncheva, Rolando Villazón and Renée Fleming. Norma Bel Canto fans will be treated to a new Norma from the Royal Opera House with a stellar cast. Sonya Yoncheva stars in the Mount Everest {…}
https://operawire.com/bass-andrea-mastroni-to-release-new-album-melancholia/
Bass Andrea Mastroni has announced his new album, “Melancholia,” which will be released early in 2018. The album will be dedicated to the work of Georg Frederich Handel and will also feature the Orchestra Accademia dell’Annunciata under the musical direction of Riccardo Doni. Audiences will hear arias from such operas as “Ezio,” “Ariodante” “Riccardo I Re d’Inghilterra,” “Riccardo,” “Galatea e Polifemo,” {…}
https://operawire.com/hispanic-heritage-month-2017-part-4-12-composers-with-impact-in-the-opera-world/
It is Hispanic Heritage month! The Latin American community has, particularly in recent years, been a major boon to the opera world, providing it with great singers and composers. This week, as part of a weekly series to celebrate the Hispanic culture and its influence on the opera world, we will turn to the great opera composers from Latin America. {…}
https://operawire.com/qa-saimir-pirgu-on-italian-french-reperotire-and-his-upcoming-roles/
Saimir Pirgu is one of today’s top tenors, singing at every major international theater, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Paris Opéra, the Berlin Staatsoper and Deutsche Oper, the Zurich Opera, Barcelona’s Liceu, the San Francisco Opera, and the Salzburg Festival. This season he heads to the Teatro {…}