It is the month of revolutions with a number of major countries acquiring their respective independence in the month of July. Just to list some – the United States, France, Algeria, Colombia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Peru, Slovakia, Rwanda, Somalia, and Venezuela. All of these nations and many more claim their independence day during this month. Independence didn’t come for free {…}
Happy Father’s Day! Fathers are those we turn to in moments of need, who set great examples by which we can live by and, the best, seek out ways to enrich our lives every day. Opera has quite the list of famous fathers, and unlike the mothers, who are often portrayed negatively, fathers come in all shapes and sizes. So {…}
Liudmyla Monastyrska is one of the most in-demand Verdi sopranos of her time. Just look at her repertoire and engagements and you will see that the Ukrainian soprano has run the gamut of the great composer’s repertoire. From the earliest works to “Aida,” Verdi’s final dramatic soprano role, Monastyrska has deep knowledge of Verdi’s artistic development. Among the roles that {…}
What do you do when your lead soprano cancels your production? You cancel the show and put on a concert of excerpts. That is exactly what the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, did when soprano Kristin Lewis, singing the role of Elisabetta, was taken to the hospital a few hours before the performance. Since the company did not have another {…}
Valencia’s Palau de les Arts has announced its 2017-18 season which will feature nine operas. The first of the bunch will be Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” starting on October 11 and running for five performances. The opera will feature a new production by Emilio López. Liana Aleksanyan plays the doomed heroine. Gluck’s “Le Cinesi” follows up with a performance on Nov. {…}
Fiorenza Cossotto is widely considered one of the greatest mezzo-sopranos of the 20th century and arguably this writer’s favorite mezzo of all time. In honor of her 82nd birthday, OperaWire has decided to take a look at some of our favorite recordings the mezzo recorded throughout her lengthy and prolific career. “La Favorita” with Alfredo Kraus Donizetti’s operatic masterpiece was one of {…}
Krassimira Stoyanova is not your typical diva. Nor has she managed to carve out a career with the “expected” working conditions for most singers of her caliber. Since her debut at the Sofia National Opera House in 1995, the Bulgarian soprano has become a famed interpreter of the Italian operatic repertoire, singing at all the greatest theaters in the world. Her {…}
Mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick is synonymous with Verdi. She’s been the leading Azucena at the Metropolitan Opera house over the last few years, singing the role a whopping 58 times since her debut on October 8, 1988, also in that very role. In Verdi’s “Aida,” she has performed the role of Amneris 80 times at the house. Throw in 17 performances {…}
Antonietta Stella is one of the great Italian sopranos of all time. Known for her potent and elegant vocal artistry, she was a heralded interpreter of the dramatic repertoire. During a time when such greats as Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi were dominating the opera world, Stella held her own, making several high-profile recordings that remain among favorites, especially in {…}
Of all his operas, Verdi’s “Don Carlo” (or “Don Carlos), which had its world premiere on March 11, 1867, is often referred to as his most “Shakespearean.” For most people, this description comes down to one thing – tragically complex characters. That said, when they talk about “complex,” King Philip and Princess Eboli are perhaps the most talked about with Elisabetta {…}
This weekend audiences in Munich will get a chance to experience the dynamic duo that is Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros in Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier.” Kaufmann likely needs no introduction, the tenor arguably the most popular of his voice type in the entire universe. Harteros deserves equal praise, her dramatic soprano a superb instrument that is simply unmatched in the {…}