Many of the great opera singers have the luxury of leaving behind essential recordings. But some of them, unfortunately, don’t get that same opportunity, their voices often getting lost in history. This is not necessarily the case for the great Gabriela Tucci, born on August 4, 1929. The versatile singing-actress made a big name for herself singing across some of {…}
This week we see two DVDs from last year’s European festivals. One comes from Macerata, while the other comes from Glyndebourne. One of the works on display is a repertory staple while the other is not as famous. Both DVDs star established and up and coming singers. A New Trovatore Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” is arguably one of the most popular {…}
Giuseppe Di Stefano is one of the great Italian tenors in history. For many, he possessed the most beautiful timbre of any lyric tenor and some fans lament the tenor’s insistence on singing operas that were often darker and heavier than his lyric could seemingly handle. And yet, one of the reasons why Pippo, born on July 24, 1921, was {…}
We can look at Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger,” which premiered on June 21, 1868, and marvel at its glorious music. Or its fascinating Schopenhauerian philosophy. Instead, let’s just look at the opera’s face value and marvel at the fact that this is an opera about singers. There are many operas laden with characters that sing within the context of the opera, {…}
Maria Agresta has quickly risen to fame in the opera world. She has made debuts in all the great theaters including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, and Royal Opera House. She has also become the go-to soprano for the Verdi repertoire singing roles in “I Due Foscari,” “Il Trovatore,” “I Masnadieri,” “La Traviata” and “Simon Boccanegra.” This month she {…}
“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 {…}