La Divina, born on Dec. 2, 1923, sang just under 50 roles over the course of her career. From Carmen to Medea to Tosca, she approached each role with the dramatic prowess which truly earned her the title that we so lovingly reference to this day. In musical circles, Callas has always been and will always remain a topic of {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Michael Mayer’s New production of “La Traviata” will have two intermissions. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Yannick Nézet-Séguin revealed that he fought for the second intermission to be reinserted as it it helped the singers have proper rest and also because it was how Verdi originally intended the work to {…}
WQXR and the Metropolitan Opera have announced “Aria Code,” a new 10-episode podcast series that explores the opera world’s most legendary arias. The podcast is set to debut on Dec. 4, 2018, to coincide with the new production premiere of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” That episode will be dedicated to the famed Italian opera and will discuss the famed “E strano… {…}
Lawrence Tibbett was one of the shining stars of the Metropolitan Opera in the pre-World War II era. The baritone, born on Nov. 16, 1896, would sing over 600 performances with the company between his debut on Nov. 24, 1923 and his final performance on March 24, 1950. Interestingly, he began his Met career as a bit role in “Boris {…}
The last time I saw Plácido Domingo up close was the first time: “Andrea Chénier,” San Francisco, 1975. He was a dashing superstar and a tenor. On Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, he was General Director of the Los Angeles Opera, overseer of Operalia, The World Opera Competition, which he founded in 1993, conductor, divo, and baritone. What also changed was {…}
Giuseppe Verdi is Italy’s composer. Few composers have ever attained the legendary status of the man from Busetto, who created a plethora of operas throughout his career that remain fixtures of the standard repertoire today. Born on Oct. 9 (or was it 10?), 1813, Verdi would become the textbook example of how to achieve everlasting greatness when you put in {…}
Teatro La Fenice certainly plays its part in making “La Traviata” the most oft-performed opera in the world. This season alone it will present 35 performances, with another 25 scheduled for next year. As in many houses, therefore, Verdi’s much loved opera forms part of the company’s staple repertoire. Obviously, an orchestra’s familiarity with a work may act as either {…}
The Pacific Opera Project is set to join forces with The Occidental College Glee Club for its upcoming production of Verdi’s Lla Traviata.” The two will collaborate on two performances scheduled for Oct. 27 and 28, 2018 at Occidental College’s Thorne Hall; the two organizations last worked together in 2016 for “The Rake’s Progress,” which was largely deemed a success. The upcoming {…}
Verdi’s “La Traviata” is the third entry in the Vienna State Opera’s live streaming series for its 2018-19 season. The Sunday performance on Sept. 23, 2018, will be led by conductor Evelino Pidò and will feature Albina Shagimuratova, Pavol Breslik, and Simon Keenlyside. This is the final performance of the Verdi masterpiece with this cast. However, a new trio will {…}
Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu has cemented her legacy as one of the finest divas of the late 20th and early 21st century. Born on Sept. 7, 1965, she was an opera star very early on. She made her international debut in 1990 as Mimì in “La Bohème” at the Cluj-Napoca Romanian National Opera. Two years later she made her international debut at {…}
Licia Albanese was one of the most influential sopranos of the 1900s. Born on July 22, 1909, in a quarter of Bari Italy, she would make her professional debut sometime in the mid-1930s (there has always been some controversy on when her true professional debut came about). But she did make her official La Scala debut in 1935 (she made {…}