The Czech Center New York in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera and the Czech National Museum in Prague is preparing an exhibition about Czech female opera singers. The exhibition will showcase singers whose careers brought them onto the Met stage. Some of the singers starred in the Met’s first productions of major Czech operas. Among them are Emmy Destinn who {…}
(Photo: Marek Olbryzmek) Richard Strauss’ “Salome” is one of those operas that lives or dies through the performance of one singer. In this case, it is the soprano cast in the title role. If she cannot hold the audience’s attention, either because she is unable to bring the necessary energy and expressivity to her singing or because she does {…}
(Photo: Festival Janacek Brno) Human beings need love and friendship to flourish and to pursue normal, balanced lives. Remove this support and replace it with abuse, neglect and contempt, and a person will become unable to function successfully. They will become maladjusted, unable to relate to others with ease and confidence, and suffer increasing periods of loneliness and isolation. Desperate {…}
(Photo: Janacek Brno Festival) Over the course of her career, Czech soprano Eva Urbanova has done it all. She has performed at the world’s top opera houses, sang with the greatest singers, and worked with the greatest conductors and stage directors. However, as of yet, there is no sign of her slowing down. She has just completed a performance of {…}
(Credit: Andreas Praefcke) The Prague’s State Opera historical building is back in business. After three years of reconstruction, the famed venue opened its door with a gala concert on Jan. 5, 2020 staged by Alice Nellis. The concert, which feature a number of Czech politicians in attendance, showcased a wide range of music from such composers as Wagner, Mozart, Janacek, {…}
“Aida” is one of the most complex operas in the repertory as it has demanding music that requires singers with immense voices that can also create riveting portrayals of deeply emotional and complex beings. However, it seems like most opera companies nowadays use this opera as a fan favorite and present it in routine productions that look like they are {…}