“It’s like having a crime and then trying to justify it and find why it was committed.” That is how soprano Marina Rebeka, currently making her role debut as Donna Elvira at the Metropolitan Opera, approaches every single opera role or artistic endeavor she takes on. The soprano recently spoke with OperaWire regarding her upcoming projects, putting a spotlight on {…}
Happy Siblings day for all of you who have the fortune of having loving brothers and sisters. Opera is filled with brother-sister pairings that either work together toward common goals or fight with one another to disastrous effect. Let’s take a look at some of opera’s most famous and unique sibling pairings. The Mozart Sisters Dorabella and Fiordiligi are as {…}
Mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick is synonymous with Verdi. She’s been the leading Azucena at the Metropolitan Opera house over the last few years, singing the role a whopping 58 times since her debut on October 8, 1988, also in that very role. In Verdi’s “Aida,” she has performed the role of Amneris 80 times at the house. Throw in 17 performances {…}
Antonietta Stella is one of the great Italian sopranos of all time. Known for her potent and elegant vocal artistry, she was a heralded interpreter of the dramatic repertoire. During a time when such greats as Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi were dominating the opera world, Stella held her own, making several high-profile recordings that remain among favorites, especially in {…}
This weekend audiences in Munich will get a chance to experience the dynamic duo that is Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros in Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier.” Kaufmann likely needs no introduction, the tenor arguably the most popular of his voice type in the entire universe. Harteros deserves equal praise, her dramatic soprano a superb instrument that is simply unmatched in the {…}
Anna Netrebko stunned Vienna State Opera audiences on Sunday, Feb. 5 after her second aria “D’Amor sull’ali rosee” at the premiere of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” Netrebko’s performance threatened to stop the show as audiences cheered her performance for more than two minutes. The soprano was not the only performer to receive such a grand ovation. Ludovic Tezier also garnered warm {…}
On Feb.5, the Vienna State Opera will open a new production of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” The new production by Daniele Abbado is one of the most anticipated operatic events of the year as it stars Anna Netrebko in the role of Leonora and Roberto Alagna as Manrico. Ludovic Tézier stars as Il Conte di Luna and Lucina D’Intino is Azucena. Marco {…}
On Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, the Royal Opera House will showcase Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” live in HD around the world. The performance, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. for those on the East Coast and 10:30 a.m. for those on the West Coast) will feature Gregory Kunde in the lead role, Lianna Haroutounian as Leonora, Anita {…}
Robert Alagna has announced that he will sing the role of Manrico in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” at the Opera National de Paris. The tenor posted the news on Facebook and revealed that he will sing the role alongside Ekaterina Semenchuk, Gabriele Viviani and Elena Stikhina. The production will be conducted by Maurizio Benini and Alagna will only be doing the June {…}
I imagine that upon reading the title of this article, you were probably confused about the arbitrary pairing of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” and Massenet’s “Manon.” The former is an opera in the Bel Canto style, firmly looking backwards in both its subject matter and style while the latter is one of Manon and French opera’s more progressive operas. The former {…}
On Jan. 4 Grace Bumbry will celebrate her 80th birthday. The mezzo soprano is recognized as one of the pioneers in the world of classical music who paved the way for future African-American opera and classical singers. The mezzo had the distinction of having a powerful and big voice that sang with commitment and intensity. She was also recognized for her agility and bel canto {…}
