Born on Dec. 30, 1952, soprano June Anderson was the first non-Italian opera star to take home the famed Bellini d’Oro prize. Born in Boston and raised in Wallingford, Connecticut, she began vocal studies at age 11 and wound up becoming a finalist of the Met Opera auditions at the age of 17. A Yale graduate in French, she went {…}
It’s hard to find the right voice for the Bel Canto repertoire. A great Bel Canto singer needs flexibility, bright high notes, immense breath control, and impeccable phrasing. And of course, a singer needs to have great command of expression, otherwise, the music can easily fall flat. Many singers attempt to put all this together, but few actually have the complete package, {…}
Maria Callas is considered for many a turning point in the opera. Born on Dec. 2, 1923, in New York (she would later renounce her U.S. citizenship), the soprano received her musical education in Greece and would find her career flourishing in Italy. She made her Italian debut in 1946 in “La Gioconda” in Verona. From there she made a {…}
Vincenzo Bellini was born on Nov. 3, 1801 and would go on to be one of the defining composers of an entire era. Bellini’s melodic style was admired by all his contemporaries and even prominent masters such as Verdi and Wagner emulated his style in one way or another. While his operatic output was minimal compared to that of others, {…}
Vincenzo Bellini is one of the most famous composers of the bel canto era. Born on Nov. 3, 1801, the composer would become well-known for his expansive melodies that would become the inspiration for many Italian composers thereafter. His first opera was “Adelson e Salvini,” which had its premiere in February of 1825 at the Teatro del Conservatorio di San {…}
Performances of Bellini’s melodrama, “Il Pirata,” at the Teatro alla Scala have, over the years, been few and far between. Originally written for the theatre in 1827, and starring the celebrated soprano, Henriette Méric-Lalande as Imogene and the famous tenor Giovanni Battista Rubini as Gualtiero, it was roundly deemed to be a success, and quickly received two revivals, one in {…}
“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 features “The Young Victoria.” {…}
Audiences can get a chance to see Mariella Devia as she says goodbye to the stage in a production of “Norma” at the Teatro la Fenice as the showcase will be carried by OperaVision. The production will also star Luca Tittoto as Oroveso, Carmela Remigio as Adalgisa, and Stefan Pop as Pollione. Devia has received strong reviews for her final {…}
The evening was all about Mariella Devia. At the age of 70, and following a hugely successful career, in which she has performed some of opera’s greatest soprano roles in the world’s most famous opera houses, she is taking her final curtain calls at the Teatro la Fenice in three performance as Bellini’s “Norma,” a wonderfully appropriate role for the {…}
Tenor John Osborn, born on May 16, 1972, has enjoyed a prolific career specializing in opera repertoire that few other tenors venture to take on. The artist, who hails from Sioux Falls, Iowa, studied at Simpson College and made his professional debut at the Des Moines Metro Opera in 1993. He would then go on to win the Metropolitan Opera {…}
The great German soprano Lilli Lehmann once famously remarked that singing all three Brünnhildes in Wagner’s Ring Cycle , which equals about eight hours of singing, was less taxing than a single performance of Bellini’s “Norma.” Indeed, a great “Norma” certainly doesn’t grow on trees, and in any given generation there are maybe a handful of singers who can tackle {…}
