(Credit: Gianfranco Rota) “Lucrezia Borgia” is perhaps one of Donizetti’s most dramatic operas with arguably some of the most unlikeable characters in the artform. However, it ranks as one of his most inventive and one of his most compelling. The music which brings audiences a step closer to early Verdi, sees Donizetti in experimental mode with some of the traditional {…}
Dell’Arte Opera Ensemble has announced its 2020 Festival, which will feature two operas under the theme of “Love For Truth.” The first opera of the festival will be “Juana,” which will be directed by Rod Gomez with Christ Fecteau as conductor and music director. This series of perfomrances will represent the East Coast premiere of the opera by composer Carla {…}
(Credit: Elena Cherkashyna) Tenor Xabier Anduaga has been around for a couple of years singing throughout Europe. But this past summer, he announced himself to the opera world at large when he became the winner of Operalia. Now he will further cement his position as he makes his return to the Donizetti Festival with “Lucrezia Borgia,” in his role debut {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) He came, he saw, and he conquered. All in one day. Mexican tenor Javier Camarena was only involved with the Teatro Real de Madrid’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” on Nov. 9. It is a role that he had not taken on in seven years, but there was no doubt from the moment he opened his mouth, that this {…}
Star Russian soprano Hibla Gerzmava performed a recital program featuring art song compositions by Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Prokofiev sprinkled with a dramatic dash of Donizetti and Verdi on Nov. 1, 2019 at Carnegie Hall. Her appearance was not without controversy. To get to the main entrance, recital-goers needed to push past Pro-Ukrainian activists lining the sidewalk and holding placards in {…}
(Credit: ROH / Clive Barda) On Oct. 24, 2019, the Royal Opera House will stream Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” into local cinemas, with international audiences getting a chance to see the transmission at a later date. The opera will star Bryn Terfel in the title role with Olga Peretyatko as Norina and Ioan Hotea as Ernesto. Markus Werba stars as Doctor {…}
Opera composers are among the most admired artists of all time. All of them had unique personalities and letters and quotes gathered throughout the years have illuminated us about who they were and how they thoughts. So for this week’s quiz we will take a look at some of the iconic quotes from some of those great composers. Some quotes {…}
The first-ever Norfolk Into Opera Festival is set to launch on August 8, 2019. It will run through August 11 and feature a production of “The Elixir of Love” and an “Opera Unwrapped Gala” Concert. All performances will take place at the Octagon Barn in Norwich. The Gala concert is set for August 9 and will feature tenor Christopher Turner {…}
(Photo: Royal Opera House/Tristram Kenton) A map unfolds to become mammoth-sized over the stage in Laurent Pelly’s 2007 production of “La Fille du Régiment:” a zany and cartoonish exposition of this far-fetched comic tale that stretches paper-thin our talent for suspending disbelief. Mounting the set in an unspecified era with almost incidental visual references to furniture, furnishings and fashions of the {…}
(Photo by Marty Sohl/Met Opera) On Sunday, July 7, 2019, audiences will get a chance to check out the Metropolitan Opera’s production of “La Fille du Régiment” as part of PBS’s Great Performances from the Met series. The opera stars Pretty Yende in the title role, alongside Javier Camarena, who made history throughout the run of the opera by encoring {…}
Gioachino Rossini is deservedly well-known for many an opera, however, he is also well-known for being one of those rare composers who actually retired from opera. His most ambitious opera “Guillaume Tell,” written in 1829, was also his last. Consequently, he had the luxury of spending over three decades in retirement in Paris at the prime of his life. Nonetheless, {…}