Embracing Tradition & Moving Beyond It – Tenor Russell Thomas On ‘Don Carlo,’ ‘Otello,’ & How To Learn From Artists & Audiences Of The Present & Past

This Saturday, March 3, 2018, the Washington National Opera will be staging a four-act version of “Don Carlo” with a superstar cast. While many might turn to the likes of Leah Crocetto, Jamie Barton, or Eric Owens, for the star power, tenor Russell Thomas is poised to have a big night in his Washington National Opera debut. Thomas recently spoke {…}

Dec 15, 2017

Top Five Opera to See This Weekend – International (12/15-17): Vienna State Opera, Royal Opera & Opera Di Roma Highlight Weekend

We are in the midst of holiday season and the opera houses in Europe are going as strong as ever. This week, we feature a company opening its season, among many other distinguished performances. Let’s take a look. Der Rosenkavalier – Vienna State Opera On Saturday, opera lovers in Vienna will get a chance to hear the Strauss masterpiece in {…}

Nov 19, 2017

Maria Katzarava To Sing Don Carlo In Valencia

Maria Katzarava will alternate with María José Siri in “Don Carlo” in Spain. The Palau de Les Arts in Valencia announced that the Mexican soprano will perform the role of Elisabetta on Dec. 12 and 18, marking the first she sings the Verdi opera. It has been a big Verdi season for Katzarava who has also debuted Leonora in “Il {…}

Nov 13, 2017

Q&A: Karine Babajanyan Talks About Puccini Heroines, Vocal Techinque & Her Verdi Wish-List

Karine Babajanyan is well known for her wide-ranging repertoire in the lirico-spinto fach, performing the works of Verdi and Puccini and many of the Verismo composers. She has particularly become well-known for her interpretations of “Madama Butterfly,” “Tosca,” “Aida,” Amelia in “Un Ballo in Maschera” and has travelled to many of the leading theaters including the Berlin Staatsoper, the Hamburg Staatsoper, {…}

Nov 10, 2017

The Opera Adaptations of Friedrich Schiller’s Famous Works

Friedrich Schiller is one of the great writers in history, his work focusing on major philosophy and a number of major dramas. Of course, his legacy is preserved in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the text to the final music set to Schiller’s poetry. Born on Nov. 10, 1759, his philosophical essays centered on ethics and aesthetics, two such works centering on {…}

Oct 14, 2017

Q&A: María José Siri On ‘Madama Butterfly,’ Verismo & Verdi

Over the past year, María José Siri’s career has skyrocketed from opening the Teatro alla Scala in a new production of “Madama Butterfly” to premiering a new production of “Manon Lescaut” at the Teatro Regio di Torino. This past month she was also called to make another high-profile opening at the Vienna State Opera in “Il Trovatore.” Since then she {…}

Aug 31, 2017

The Baritone & Bass (!) Roles of Dramatic Tenor Ramón Vinay

Ramón Vinay was one of the greatest dramatic tenors of all-time, his dark and potent voice often cited as the shining example of what Verdi’s “Otello” should sound like. In fact, Carlo Bergonzi famously declared that Vinay’s was the only one he found suitable for the role of the tragic Moor. Vinay, born on August 31, 1912, in Chile, actually {…}

Aug 26, 2017

Triple Bill of Broadcasts on Saturday Include ‘Don Carlo,’ ‘Nabucco’ From Verona

It’s going to be a busy day for opera lovers this Saturday with three major showcases on a television. First up is a performance of “Don Carlo” from La Scala starring Ferruccio Furlanetto, Stuart Neil, Dalibor Jenis, Anatolij Kotscherga, Fiorenza Celodins, and Dolora Zajick on RAI Cinque. The showcase kicks off at 4 p.m. in Europe. The performance was conducted {…}

Aug 16, 2017

Verdi, Verdi & Something Else: The Roles Krassimira Stoyanova & Sharon Sweet Both Sang

Sharon Sweet and Krassimira Stoyanova. Two sopranos born on August 16 with rather different careers. The former was a well-known American dramatic soprano who took on a wide range of Italian and German repertoire, most prominently singing operas by Wagner and Verdi. The latter, a Bulgarian with a far lighter voice, has slowly dug into that very same dramatic repertoire, {…}

Jul 16, 2017

Camille Du Locle’s Important Place In Operatic History

Camille du Locle is not a particularly recognizable name in the world of opera. Born on July 16, 1932, only the greatest opera connoisseurs may have a clue as to who he was. And even then, there’s a chance you might not have heard of him even then. And yet he is an important performance in the history of opera, {…}

Jul 14, 2017

The Singing Actress – Leah Crocetto On Acting & Approaching Her Repertory In Bel Canto Style

Tosca, Aida, Elisabetta and Liù are the roles associated with a lyric spinto soprano. They are the pinnacle of the Italian repertory and the works that every major diva wants to sing. Leah Crocetto gets to sing these great operas on a regular basis, as her profile has ballooned over the last few years. Today, she has become one of {…}

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