Maestro Carlo Rizzi has led over 180 performances at the Met and when all is said and done in 2017-18, he will have topped 200 performances with the company. He has led works by such composers from a vast range of Italian composers including Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti, and Rossini. Of all the works he has conducted, “La Bohème” has been {…}
Anna Netrebko has recently confirmed a plethora of major productions she will be taking on over the next few years. In an interview with the magazine Classica, the Russian diva announced that she will take on the role of Lisa in “The Queen of Spades” in Salzburg in either 2018 or 2019 with Mariss Jansons at the podium. She also {…}
Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino” has had an uneven performance history despite containing some of the composer’s most memorable music, not least its well-known overture, made famous through concert performances, and the emotionally charged duets that characterize the work. The problem, however, stems not from its music, but from its sprawling structure and the complex tensions that drive the narrative. {…}
Yesterday we took a look at two titanic sopranos that shared a birthday. Today, May 18, we turn our attention to two important basses that were also born on the same day. Ezio Pinza’s birth came on this day in 1892 while Boris Christoff’s came in 1914. Both artists led rather different careers with the former finishing out his career {…}
When you hear the name Leonard Warren, you always hear another name – Verdi. The baritone, born on April 21, 1911, was dedicated to the great Italian and practically sang every great baritone role that Verdi wrote. You name it. For many, he was the ultimate Rigoletto (he performed the opera 89 times at the Metropolitan Opera), while others will {…}
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 {…}
It’s been 11 years since the Metropolitan Opera has performed Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino,” one of the composer’s late masterpieces and one that requires an ensemble of experienced singers who have the force to take on the composer’s demanding music. As a result, it is rarely performed around the world and for that reason, New York audiences have waited {…}
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 {…}
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 {…}
On Feb. 27, Verdi’s revised version of “La Forza del Destino” premiered at La Scala in 1869. The version included a number of changes, including a completely different ending and adjustments to a few duets. The result was a shorter opera that was hailed by critics as one of Verdi’s late masterpieces. Throughout history the opera has been a vehicle {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its 2017-18 season and with it there are two Met premieres and two notable revivals. “Luisa Miller” will have its first run in over a decade. Rossini’s “Semiramide” will also be performed for the first time since 1993 while Msssenet’s “Cendrillon” bows at the house for the first time ever. With some of these operas {…}