The Met Opera’s Live in HD series continues this Saturday, March 2, 2019 with a performance of Donizetti’s comic gem “La Fille du Régiment.” The broadcast, which kicks off 12:55 p.m. Eastern time, will feature Pretty Yende as the titular heroine Marie. Starring as Tonio and tasked with singing nine high C’s will be tenor Javier Camarena. Other cast members {…}
The reveals of repertory for major opera companies is also a statement of intent. In the case of the new Met Opera seasons, there are always underlying trends worth glimpsing, to emphasize the general direction of the company. The 2019-20 season has its fair share of unique stories worth looking at further and we identified a few that dovetail with {…}
On February 10, 2019, celebrated tenor Andrea Bocelli returned to the Metropolitan Opera for the first performance of his concert, titled “Three Centuries of Love.” This encompassing program featured selections from composers such as Massenet, Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, Delibes, Gounod, and Puccini; joining Bocelli were sopranos Nadine Sierra and Aida Garifullina, along with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard. This sold-out concert had {…}
Of Donizetti’s major comedies, “La Fille du Régiment” is a unique work. Debuting on Feb. 11, 1840, this is one of the few French-language operas by Donizetti in the standard repertory. It was also his first opera set to French text. It has remained a fixture of the standard repertory over the years. There is an Italian-language version, but it {…}
This review was written as a collaboration between David & Francisco Salazar for the performance on Feb. 7, 2019. Over the course of five months the Metropolitan Opera has shown everything from Verismo, French, Classical, Contemporary, Russian, Hungarian and German opera; there has also been a solid abundance of Verdi opera. What has sorely been missing are works that have {…}
On Feb. 7, 2019, the Metropolitan Opera will revive Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment” for the 110th time in its history. The title heroine is undeniably one of the biggest stories every time that the opera is revived. In this production’s case, the leading lady will be Pretty Yende in what will be her 50th Met performance on opening night. {…}
They say art reflects life and so often the experiences we engage with in artistic form are those that help to shape our world view. The beauty of art is how it is able to traverse a wide range of perspectives, giving us not only different ways of seeing humanity, but also different ways to feel about it. Bel Canto {…}
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 {…}
On Dec. 23, 2018, Talents of the World brought their first International Music Festival to a stunning conclusion with the company’s Christmas Ball. The night saw a wide-ranging program of opera, operetta, and Christmas songs, and from start to finish there remained a sense of celebration which added much to the showcase of artistry. To Health! Opening the concert was {…}
Dec. 22, 2018, saw the second concert of Talents of the World’s International Music Festival. Following their tribute concert to the legendary Maria Callas, Saturday’s performance was given in celebration of legendary tenor Enrico Caruso’s 145th anniversary. The evening’s program was comprised of not only operatic favorites, but a number of Neapolitan Songs as well. What followed was a highly-charged {…}
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, {…}
