“Fidelio” first premiered on Nov. 20, 1805 and is the only opera composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven. While he was originally working with librettist Emanuel Schikaneder, who wrote “The Magic Flute,” difficulties with the composition, as well as the annulment of their contract, freed up Beethoven to work with Joseph Sonnleithner on what would become “Fidelio.” While it remains a {…}
Jon Vickers, born on Oct. 29, 1926, built up a career as one of the finest dramatic tenors of his time. He conquered a wide range of repertoire across a wide range of houses, became associated with quite a few roles, and then went on to make acclaimed recordings with other major superstars. Vickers’ career got kickstarted in 1957 when {…}
It is the month of revolutions with a number of major countries acquiring their respective independence in the month of July. Just to list some – the United States, France, Algeria, Colombia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Peru, Slovakia, Rwanda, Somalia, and Venezuela. All of these nations and many more claim their independence day during this month. Independence didn’t come for free {…}
After looking at the top female and male singers as well as the finest maestros of the 2016-17 season, we now turn the spotlight on the 10 best-assembled casts of the season. This was a truly difficult piece to put together as this Met season had great casts for almost every single opera. But the casts listed below were simply {…}
The BBC Proms has announced its summer schedule and as always there will be a lot of offerings for opera lovers. Here is a look at what audiences can look forward to. July The BBC Proms opens with John Adam’s choral masterwork “Harmonium” on Friday, July 14, 2017, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. This concert will include the {…}
I preface this by stating that this review is for the performance on March 24, 2017. I would also like to recognize that this is just one, performance of a seven-performance run. In an ideal situation, I would attend every performance and write a detailed review of the overall work. As it stands, I can only go on my perspective of one performance. 2017 has been the year of {…}
With much anticipation, the New Amsterdam Opera is bringing “La Forza del Destino” back to the stage in New York City after a long absence. “We believe that this work has not been performed in New York City in at least ten years,” said Keith Chambers, artistic director. This rare concert performance will happen on Friday, March 24th in Manhattan {…}
David Portillo’s career at the Metropolitan Opera got off to an expected start. As a lyric tenor, he sang the lead role in Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville,” an opera that he and most tenors of his FACH are quite familiar with. His debut was a huge success, the tenor earning rave reviews for his lush vocal quality and fearless {…}
The Wagner tenor is a rare breed, often defined by a thick and granular quality that can easily cut through the orchestra, all while singing the most difficult music in the operatic canon. When we think of Wagnerian voices, we think dark and heavy, not light and delicate. Unless of course, we are talking about Klaus Florian Vogt. Arguably the {…}
Fidelio opens at the Metropolitan on Thursday, March 16, 2017. Being Beethoven’s only opera, it has been given great prominence at the Metropolitan Opera, to the tune of 230 performances. Here are some other fun facts about the opera over the course of its Met Opera history. 1. The opera’s very first performance was on Nov. 19, 1884, and featured {…}
Klaus Florian Vogt is regarded as one of the most sought-after Wagnerian tenors his generations. He has marveled audiences with his intense lyricism and his commitment to each role he portrays. This week he returns to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time since 2006 when he made his debut in the title role of Wagner’s “Lohengrin.” This time Met {…}