Rolando Panerai was one of the great baritones of the mid-1900s. Born on Oct. 17, 1924, the Campi Bisenzio-born singer would add around 150 operas to his repertoire, an obscene number by any standards. As one might expect, he was a massive exponent of the Italian repertoire, particularly in the operas of Verdi where he sang everything from the great {…}
Go big or go home. That’s one theme of Verdi’s “Falstaff,” and it is certainly the big idea behind the Ópera de Colombia’s co-production this week with the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo. Directed by Alejandro Chacón, celebrating his 25th anniversary since making his directorial debut at the Teatro Colón, and conducted by Chilean maestro Rodolfo Fischer, the production {…}
Ramón Vinay was one of the greatest dramatic tenors of all-time, his dark and potent voice often cited as the shining example of what Verdi’s “Otello” should sound like. In fact, Carlo Bergonzi famously declared that Vinay’s was the only one he found suitable for the role of the tragic Moor. Vinay, born on August 31, 1912, in Chile, actually {…}
Regina Resnik is often cited as one of the great American mezzos of the 20th century. Born on August 30, she managed an international career that spanned a whopping five decades and became a house favorite with such companies as La Scala, the Paris Opera, the Royal Opera, the Vienna State Opera, and of course, the Metropolitan Opera, where she {…}
Happy Mother’s Day to all the great mothers that are reading this article. The greatest of mothers are people that we can always count on when things get tough. When we need a shoulder to cry on, mom is the one who will always offer hers. When we have a small achievement, mom is the one ready to cry with {…}
The Opera Ballet Vlaanderen has officially revealed its schedule for the 2017-18 season. The company kicks things off in Gent and Antwerp on Sept. 15 with a production of “Das Wunder der Heliane” by Korngold. The opera gets four performances at Opera Gent and five at Opera Antwerpen with Alexander Joel conducting a cast that includes Ian Storey as the {…}
Before Juan Diego Flórez stormed on the scene, Peru’s most famous tenor was none other than Luigi Alva. The lyric tenor actually sang a number of the same roles that his compatriot would take on decades later, but his legacy is ultimately far different. Alva, born in Paita on April 10, 1927, served in the Peruvian Navy for some time {…}
Renato Bruson is one of the famous Verdi baritones of all time. His rotund sound had such tremendous range that allowed him to tackle all of the composer’s major roles, almost all to resounding success. He also had such a fantastic technical mastery of his voice that, despite being born on Jan. 13, 1936, he could still be heard singing {…}
Running a family business is a tricky proposition. Running an opera company might be even harder. Combining the two into one requires some form of genius. That has been the accomplishment of Michael Spierman, who set out on a dream alongside other colleagues to salvage operatic culture in the Bronx. The fruit of that dream, the Bronx Opera flourished and {…}
Zubin Mehta is retiring from the Israel Philharmonic, ending a lengthy relationship. The announcement, according to The Jerusalem Post, was made Monday and confirmed that Mehta would end his nearly 50 years with the ensemble in October 2019. The 80-year-old Indian-born conductor made numerous recordings with the group throughout his tenure, including a legendary recording of a live performance of {…}
The 2017-18 season for the Paris National Opera was leaked online before the company ensured that the information taken offline. Despite the quick action from the Paris Opera, the information was online long enough to learn about the new engagements and that information currently resides on the blog Opera Critiques by David Le Marrec. Opening night at the Bastille will {…}