On Feb. 7, 2019, the Metropolitan Opera will revive Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment” for the 110th time in its history. The title heroine is undeniably one of the biggest stories every time that the opera is revived. In this production’s case, the leading lady will be Pretty Yende in what will be her 50th Met performance on opening night. {…}
When it comes to simple beauty of voice and legato, Joan Sutherland tops most people’s lists. “La Stupenda,” as she came to be known, was born on Nov. 7, 1926 in Australia and learned singing from her mother, a mezzo-soprano. Sutherland made her concert debut in 1947 in a performance of “Dido and Aeneas” before making her stage debut in {…}
Luciano Pavarotti, born on Oct. 12, 1935, is a pop culture icon. He was also a great tenor. Pavarotti’s initial dreams were to be a football / soccer player, though he would eventually dedicate himself to singing. It is interesting to note that the great tenor struggled to find his voice early on in his career, constantly switching teachers and {…}
The World Cup kicks off tomorrow with a match between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Before that, audiences around the world will get to clamor as some of the greatest opera stars appear on the world stage. And then on the opening ceremony, another young opera star will make a major appearance. For some, the concept of opera and soccer (football around {…}
This week Pavarotti celebrated his tenth anniversary and many Opera singers paid tribute to the King of the High Cs. Juan Diego Flórez posted a picture he took of the tenor years ago. You are always in my memories, Maestro A post shared by Juan Diego Flórez (@jdiego_florez) on Sep 6, 2017 at 2:50am PDT Meanwhile, Angela Gheorghiu paid tribute {…}
This week one of the greatest opera stars in the world will release her first crossover album, while two rising stars team up for distinct Bel canto albums. Meanwhile, Decca releases a new compilation of Pavarotti’s favorite arias. Romanza Anna Netrebko releases a new CD this week entitled “Romanza.” The CD marks Netrebko’s first crossover album featuring love songs written {…}
The Metropolitan Opera celebrates its 50th anniversary Sunday with a massive gala featuring the greatest stars in opera. The company, which moved to Lincoln Center in 1966, is among the most renowned opera institutions in the world, a place where the greatest of all singers commune on one of the biggest stages in one of the biggest theaters. A few {…}
On September 6, 2017, Fondazione Luciano Pavarotti and Friends & Partners will put together a gala to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the great tenor’s passing in 2007. The concert will take place at the Arena di Verona in Italy and will feature Plácido Domingo and José Carreras paying tribute to the giant. The two, of course, worked alongside {…}
February 11, 1840. Donizetti was premiering his latest work, a French comedy known as “La Fille du Regiment.” Among his works, it was a true rarity in its approach to style. He had a lot banking on this work, looking to fully establish his reputation in the cultural capital of the world. But it was a disaster. One of the {…}
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 {…}
Verdi’s “Rigoletto” returns to the Met stage on Friday, Jan. 20 in a lengthy run through February and then a few days in April. Olga Peretyatko and Željko Lučić will be the production’s mainstays, singing every single presentation of the work this season. This will be the Lučić’s fourth run of “Rigoletto” at the Met, byt far his most performed {…}
