This week, Debussy’s masterwork “Pelléas et Mélisande” returns to the Metropolitan Opera stage for the first time since 2011. The opera will feature Paul Appleby and Isabel Leonard in the title roles respectively. Appleby will be the 15th Pelléas in Met history while Leonard will be the 17th singer to inhabit the role of his doomed lover Mélisande. Here is {…}
Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” is one of opera’s greatest works and on Friday night, the Teatro Colón, in a production by Susanna Gómez (continuing the work of its original director, the late Gustavo Tambascio), reminded everyone why. The French work is often mentioned in the same breath as Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde,” undeniably because the composer was, at that time, {…}
Claude Debussy, born on August 22, 1862, is one of France’s greatest composer. For many, he is the face of the impressionist movement, even though he himself rejected the term. Debussy was not born into wealth or music, but he had the gift as early as the age of 10, entering the Conservatoire de Paris. He studied music there before {…}
Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” is one of the great operas of all time. Premiering on April 30, 1902, the work was conceived as a major work of the 20th century. Debussy himself had fashioned the work with the idea of moving toward a new operatic ideal that he described as “No time, no place. No big scene […] Music in {…}
Debussy’s operatic gem “Pelléas et Mélisande” gets a live stream on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, as part of the Vienna State Opera’s season-long showcase of its productions online. The opera will be conducted by Daniel Harding with sets and direction by Marco Arturo Marelli. Peter Rose, Janina Baechle, Bernard Richter, Simon Keenlyside and Christiane Karg headline the cast. The production {…}
When you think of Claude Debussy’s operatic output, his lone opera “Pelléas et Mélisande” immediately springs to mind. But did you know that the composer, born on August 22, 1862, actually had a few more operas in the pipeline? Here is a rundown of those other works that never came to fruition. Rodrigue et Chimène This would have been Debussy’s {…}
Two distinct solo albums headline this week’s new releases. Christian Gerhaher will take on a journey through a song cycle while Christine Karg will take you on a poetic journey. Johannes Brahms’ “Die schöne Magelone” Sony Classical releases a Brahms song cycle featuring baritone Christian Gerhaher, together with his long-time piano partner Gerold Huber. The cycle in question is “The {…}