When is it the right time? That is the question most singers ask when choosing to explore new repertoire. There is always a risk in singing heavier works at a young age because it can damage the voice. And then there is a risk of being pigeonholed into singing one role. Ever since her breakout in 2009, Anita Rachvelshvili has {…}
A successful performance of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” is relatively easy, according to Enrico Caruso. All that is needed are the four greatest singers in the world. And Caruso was not really joking as that is exactly what the second installment of Verdi’s middle-period trilogy truly requires. “Il Trovatore” first premiered on Jan. 19, 1853 and has been a major operatic {…}
On Jan. 22, 2018, the Metropolitan Opera will revive David McVicar’s production of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” The production runs until Feb. 15, a total of eight performances. This year’s production is set to offer up quite some delights for newcomers to Verdi’s mid-period masterpiece. Here’s a look at some reasons you must see this revival. Rising Stars Take the Lead {…}
Sir David McVicar has been directing opera for quite some time, working with such prominent companies as the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, La Monnaie, and the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. He has also sustained a healthy relationship with the Metropolitan Opera, particularly in recent years where he has been given carte blanche to put together {…}
James McCracken, born on Dec. 16, 1926, is known today as one of the great American tenors of the 20th Century. Shockingly, he wasn’t always viewed that way. In fact, a great portion of his early career, spent at the Metropolitan Opera, was spent in the shadows of other things. He sang a whopping 596 performances with the company, but {…}
Central City Opera has announced its 2018 Summer Festival. The festival, which will run between July 7 and August 5, 2018, will feature productions of “The Magic Flute” and “Il Trovatore.” There will also be showcases of one-act productions of “Acis and Galatea” and the 40th Anniversary of Henry Mollicone’s “Face on the Barroom floor,” a Central City Opera commissioned work. “The Magic {…}
Ettore Bastianini, Pablo Elvira, and Cornell MacNeil share a birthday – September 24. Two of these men, MacNeil and Bastianini were born on the same exact day. All three were baritones, overlapping a ton of repertoire. Of the three, Elvira’s career is perhaps not quite up to the legendary status of the other two men, with Bastianini often crowned as {…}
Anna Netrebko has canceled opening night at the Vienna State Opera. The soprano was set to perform Leonora in “Il Trovatore” on Sept. 4. She is still scheduled for two more performances. Netrebko is the second cancellation in the highly anticipated revival. Last week Marcelo Alvarez withdrew from the production with Yusif Eyvazov filling in. In Netrebko’s place, Maria José Siri {…}
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 {…}
Marcelo Alvarez has canceled Opening Night at the Vienna State Opera. The Vienna State Opera announced that Alvarez had to cancel the Sept. 4 performance of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” which is slated to open the 2017-18 season. As a result, Yusif Eyvazov will sing the title role. He will join his wife Anna Netrebko, Luciana D’Intino and George Petean in Daniele Abbado’s production which {…}
Sharon Sweet and Krassimira Stoyanova. Two sopranos born on August 16 with rather different careers. The former was a well-known American dramatic soprano who took on a wide range of Italian and German repertoire, most prominently singing operas by Wagner and Verdi. The latter, a Bulgarian with a far lighter voice, has slowly dug into that very same dramatic repertoire, {…}