https://operawire.com/joyce-didonato-performs-for-sing-sing-inmates/
Joyce DiDonato is redefining what it means to be an opera singer as she is taking her love for music to Sing Sing, one of the most notorious prisons in the world. On the Today show the Mezzo Soprano was interviewed about her work with the inmates to help them find their voice through music. In the story DiDonato revealed {…}
https://operawire.com/cddvd-releases-week-of-jan-2-ring-in-the-new-year-with-kathleen-battle-and-her-sony-legacy/
The first week of New Years will be busy for opera lovers who are excited to discover new artists or look back at some of the legendary prima donnas. Anett Fritsch and Mozart Orfeo will release Frisch’s debut album. The album features works from Mozart’s popular operas including “Don Giovanni,” “Cosi Fan Tutte” and “Le Nozze di Figaro.” A specialist {…}
https://operawire.com/weekend-preview-international-1230-11-die-fledermaus-dominates-throughout-europe/
Many of the international opera houses will end the 2016 with a bang, ensuring that their companies put out their best to the very end. Germany At the Baden Baden Festival, Sonya Yoncheva and Piotr Beczala will come together for the yearly Silver Concert with music by Gounod, Massenet, Bizet, Offenbach, Lehar and Strauss. There will also be selections by {…}
https://operawire.com/on-this-day-a-look-at-maria-stuardas-music-and-donizettis-inventive-power/
On Dec. 30, 1835 Donizetti’s “Maria Stuarda” made its premiere with the admired soprano Maria Malibran. The opera did not get a good reception due to the two sopranos being in poor voice and as a result of Malibran ignoring the censors. The result was an opera that would be ignored for 130 years and one that would not be {…}
https://operawire.com/rising-star-maria-katzarava-returns-to-london-in-2017/
London audiences will get reacquainted with soprano Maria Katzarava this January when the Mexican Georgian singer makes appearances at the Wigmore Hall. The soprano will appear on January 10 for the Rosenblatt Recitals at Wigmore Hall, a concert series that showcases some of the greatest opera stars of the moment. She will be joined by tenor Stefano la Colla and {…}
https://operawire.com/artist-of-the-week-johannes-martin-kranzles-essential-recordings/
Johannes Martin Kränzle may not have the world-renown name of many major singers, but he certainly has the experience and recordings to illustrate his strength as an artist. The baritone has a varied selection from which listeners can choose from, ranging from high profile video recordings to more intimate listening experiences. Here are some of his vital albums. 1. Alberich {…}
https://operawire.com/breaking-news-valery-gergiev-to-perform-verdi-requiem-in-memory-of-tupolev-154-victims/
On Dec. 29, Valery Gergiev will lead the Mariinsky Orchestra and Chorus, the Student Chorus of the Popov Academy of Choral Art and the State Academic Kozhevnikov Chorus of the Moscow Region at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Verdi’s “Requiem.” The soloists will include Tatiana Serjan (soprano), Yulia Matochkina (mezzo-soprano), Najmiddin Mavlyanov (tenor), Ildar Abdrazakov (bass). The company announced that the concert would “be dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Tupolev-154 air {…}
https://operawire.com/on-this-day-exploring-tito-schipas-diverse-artistry/
On Dec. 27, 1888, Raffaele Attilo Amedeo Schipa, better known as Tito Schipa, came into the world. Over the span of his 77 years, he would give the world glorious music in many forms. He was of course best known as a tenore di grazia, though he managed a number of Verdi and Puccini operas while conquering Italian roles by {…}
https://operawire.com/bayerische-staatsoper-2016-17-preview-die-fledermaus-rings-in-the-new-year/
The Bayerische Staatsoper kicks off the New Year with a performance of Johann Strauss II’s popular “Die Fledermaus.” The performances gets going at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. EST) and ends around 9:20 p.m. with only one intermission. The New Year’s Eve performance is already sold out. The run, which features three additional performances on Jan. 2, 5 and {…}