“Lucia di Lammermoor” is one of opera’s undisputed staples. The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden will be bringing back the work on Oct. 30, 2017, for an eight-performance run starring the great American soprano Lisette Oropesa in Katie Mitchell’s sexy and bloody production. When one thinks of “Lucia” at the Royal Opera House, it is impossible to disassociate the opera {…}
“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 Luc Besson’s “The {…}
Conductor Riccardo Frizza has been named the first and new music director of the Donizetti Opera Festival in Bergamo. The festival is the only one dedicated to the research and dissemination of the Bergamo born composer´s wide repertoire, a cornerstone of the Romantic bel-canto style. The new appointment was announced by Bergamo´s councillor for culture, Nadia Ghisalberti, and by the director of the {…}
Gaetano Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” is one of the most famous operas in the bel canto repertoire, a style which emphasized the technique and beauty with which an actor sang. Drawing on a wild, Scottish setting and a story full of romance and insanity, “Lucia di Lammermoor” captivated the hearts of Romantic-era audiences. The opera had its world premiere on {…}
Last year the Bayerische Staatsoper opened a new production of Donizetti’s beloved French work “La Favorite.” It was specifically created for Elīna Garanča, who was making her staged role debut after having impressed in the work in a concert performance at the Salzburg Festival alongside Juan Diego Flórez. This time around the company brought along two of her frequent collaborators, Mariusz Kwiecien {…}
Walter Scott, born on August 15, 1771, is among the most important English-language writers, his works essential parts of the literary canon. In fact, he created some true masterpieces that would go on to inspire some of the greatest opera composers as well. Here is a look at the important operas based on the works of Scott. Ivanhoe Scott’s most {…}
In what appears to be a trend this summer, Chautauqua Opera’s production of Donizetti’s classic opera buffa “Don Pasquale” was distinguished by its treatment of a non-title character, in this case the gorgeous lyric baritone of Kyle Pfortmiller as Dr. Malatesta. Under the direction of David Schweizer, Malatesta doesn’t just engineer the complicated ruse designed to unite lovers Norina (Laura {…}
Review written in collaboration with David Salazar, Editor-in-Chief Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” is often portrayed as an innocent tale of a country bumpkin often getting the girl of his dreams. Most of the time, Nemorino’s strife emphasizes his luck in landing his beloved, first through the fact that his beloved Adina does, in fact, love him and simply needs a spark {…}
Starting on August 31, 2017, The New Generation Festival will take over the Corsini Gardens in Florence for four days of music and opera. The event is co-founded by the conductor Maximilian Fane and features violinist Charlie Siem as artistic director. Siem will perform throughout the weekend in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor. That concert will also include the {…}
It’s no surprise that most of Donizetti’s output is rarely performed, with many operas becoming obscure to many audiences. Only a few of his works have actually had a chance to make their way into the repertoire and remain there consistently. But this is not the case with “L’Assedio di Calais” which premiered in 1836 and has since been performed {…}
Giuseppe Di Stefano is one of the great Italian tenors in history. For many, he possessed the most beautiful timbre of any lyric tenor and some fans lament the tenor’s insistence on singing operas that were often darker and heavier than his lyric could seemingly handle. And yet, one of the reasons why Pippo, born on July 24, 1921, was {…}
