The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2019-20 season which will feature a wide range of incredible repertory. This season will put a spotlight on the music of Beethoven, featuring a number of his iconic symphonies, his only opera, and a mass. For the purposes of this article, we will only focus on featuring vocal performances. The first such performance {…}
Ludwig Van Beethoven. That name alone already creates different emotional reactions in everyone. Baptized on Dec. 17, 1770, the composer would go on to be not only one of the icons of classical music but of all art in history. Alongside Mozart and Bach, Beethoven remains one of the household names and his music has transcended time. A pupil of {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment we will take a {…}
Beethoven only ever finished one opera – “Fidelio.” But this wasn’t the only work he attempted to create. In fact, the famed composer did intend to make a name for himself on the stage, but it never came to fruition outside of “Fidelio.” One other attempt was “Vestas Feuer.” With a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder,” Beethoven made his attempt at {…}
“Fidelio” first premiered on Nov. 20, 1805 and is the only opera composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven. While he was originally working with librettist Emanuel Schikaneder, who wrote “The Magic Flute,” difficulties with the composition, as well as the annulment of their contract, freed up Beethoven to work with Joseph Sonnleithner on what would become “Fidelio.” While it remains a {…}
Twenty-eight years ago, on Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall came crashing down in a moment that will always go down in history for its political significance. The moment also had major musical significance as it showcased Leonard Berstein leading a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Bernstein controversially had the word “Freheit (freedom)” replace “Freude (joy)” in the text of {…}
There is perhaps no tenor more lauded for his interpretation in the German repertoire than Fritz Wunderlich. The German tenor worked mostly in his home country until his untimely death in 1966. American audiences were robbed of his Metropolitan Opera debut, and there is surely a hole missing where his growth as an artist would have been fostered. In honor of {…}
The Orchestra Now has announced its fall season, which will feature a ton of vocal performances. The big one that all eyes will surely be on is the Oct. 21 and 22 showcases of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which will feature soprano Chloé Olivia Moore, mezzo Teresa Buchholz, bass-baritone Alfred Walker, and tenor John Pickle. Bard College Conservatory 2016 Concerto Competition {…}
The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love.” Gabriel García Marquez’s “Cien Años de Soledad.” The Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá. What do they have in common? They came into existence exactly 50 years ago. The latter of these experienced a major celebration on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, at the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo in a program that featured the {…}
The BBC Proms has announced its summer schedule and as always there will be a lot of offerings for opera lovers. Here is a look at what audiences can look forward to. July The BBC Proms opens with John Adam’s choral masterwork “Harmonium” on Friday, July 14, 2017, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. This concert will include the {…}
I preface this by stating that this review is for the performance on March 24, 2017. I would also like to recognize that this is just one, performance of a seven-performance run. In an ideal situation, I would attend every performance and write a detailed review of the overall work. As it stands, I can only go on my perspective of one performance. 2017 has been the year of {…}