Now in its third season, “The Crypt Sessions,” continues to bring world-class talent to Harlem’s Church of the Intercession for a night of music produced by Unison Media. July 24’s concert saw leading operatic tenor Lawrence Brownlee, joined by pianists Myra Huang and Damien Sneed, letting loose with a variety of songs from Classical, Jazz, Gospel, and more. Brownlee began {…}
Apart from the onslaught of syphilis, 1840 was a good year for Gaetano Donizetti. He become the first composer to have three operas (“La Fille du Régiment”, “Lucrezia Borgia,” and “La Favorite”) debut in three different theaters in Paris within a period of less than 12 months. The last of the trifecta was written specifically for Rosine Stolz (née Victoire Noël) {…}
Joyce El-Khoury is quickly rising the ranks of the opera world for her versatility and artistry. She has also gained a reputation for bringing newly discovered and rarely performed works to life, collaborating with Opera Rara, and performing them with numerous important companies. She has also performed in many of the great theaters in the world bringing an immense repertoire. {…}
OperaVision will start streaming Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” from the Teatro Real starting on July 7, 2018. The Donizetti masterpiece will feature Lisette Oropesa as the famed heroine with Javier Camarena as her lover Edgardo. Artur Rucinski stars as Enrico with Roberto Tagliavini as Raimondo. Daniel Oren conducts. The stream kicks off at 7 p.m. local time. That’s around 2 {…}
As the Metropolitan Opera company’s Summer Recital Series rolls on, the artists and crew took to Williamsbridge Oval Park in the Bronx for an afternoon of arias, duets, and a trio from some of opera’s most cherished composers. Kicking things off was tenor Gerard Schneider, singing “Questa o quella” from Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” This amorous aria made for a spirited opening, {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features “The Young Victoria.” {…}
With the New York Opera Fest 2018 officially underway, OperaWire will be showcasing small previews for each major participant at the festival, as we did during last year’s event. However, we are doing things a bit differently this year and giving the floor directly to each company to speak to you, the reader, directly. Enjoy! One of the most hotly {…}
Tenor John Osborn, born on May 16, 1972, has enjoyed a prolific career specializing in opera repertoire that few other tenors venture to take on. The artist, who hails from Sioux Falls, Iowa, studied at Simpson College and made his professional debut at the Des Moines Metro Opera in 1993. He would then go on to win the Metropolitan Opera {…}
Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore,” which the exception of Rossini’s “Barbiere di Siviglia,” might be the most famous opera comedy of all time. The work, which premiered on May 12, 1832, was written in just six weeks and went on to be a runaway success for the ensuing decade. It was the most performed opera in Italy between 1838-48 and not much {…}
The path of true love never runs smoothly, or so the well-known expression runs. Through the centuries men and women have constantly misunderstood each other’s intentions; the game of love is no simple affair. What should be a simple development between two people who love each other almost by default becomes complicated and fraught with misunderstandings as they engage in {…}
The Tudors were a colorful bunch of monarchs, who were never afraid to chop-off the odd head here and there, indulge themselves in various kinds of political and sexual intrigues, father the occasional bastard, change the country’s religion now and again whilst burning a few heretics along the way, and seemed positively addicted to controversy. Their history is littered with {…}