(Credit: © Joan Tomás – Fidelio Artist) In 2019 the Donizetti Opera Festival celebrated its fifth anniversary after winning the prestigious Best Festival at the Oper! Magazine Awards. The festival showcased three works by the famed composer that brought an international audience and a number of rising stars and international singers. It was also the second year for famed conductor {…}
(Credit: Marty Sohl/Karen Almond-Metropolitan Opera/Ken Howard-Santa Fe Opera/ Gianfranco Rota-Donizetti Opera) We hope that the end of your 2019 is a prosperous one and that the start of 2020 is even better. As we look forward to the next calendar year, we are taking some time to reflect on the opera performances that defined 2019 for many of us. As {…}
(Credit: Gianfranco Rota) “Lucrezia Borgia” is perhaps one of Donizetti’s most dramatic operas with arguably some of the most unlikeable characters in the artform. However, it ranks as one of his most inventive and one of his most compelling. The music which brings audiences a step closer to early Verdi, sees Donizetti in experimental mode with some of the traditional {…}
(Credit: Elena Cherkashyna) Tenor Xabier Anduaga has been around for a couple of years singing throughout Europe. But this past summer, he announced himself to the opera world at large when he became the winner of Operalia. Now he will further cement his position as he makes his return to the Donizetti Festival with “Lucrezia Borgia,” in his role debut {…}
On July 26, 2019, Spanish tenor Xabier Anduaga (along with fellow competitor Adriana Gonzalez) achieved one of opera’s most coveted distinctions as he joined the circle of Operalia 1st Prize winners. The Operalia competition has been transforming talented young singers into stars of the opera scene since 1993, with winners frequently becoming headliners at top venues across the globe. This {…}
Opera Australia has announced its 2020 Melbourne program, which will include staged operas, concert performances, and musicals. Operas Graeme Murphy will direct an “innovative and visually stunning” new production of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” It will showcase how “the digital screens can be used to enhance the storytelling and opera experience,” says Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini in the press release. Japanese soprano Hiromi Omura {…}
Since winning the international singing competition ‘As. Li. Co’ in Milan, things have only been on the rise for baritone Franco Vassallo. He’s turned into one of the foremost intepreters of the bel canto repertoire of Donizetti and Bellini, as well as many Verdi, and has sung at La Scala Milan, the Vienna Staatsoper, and the Metropolitan Opera New York. {…}
Victor Hugo, born on Feb. 26, 1802, was one of the great French writers of the 19th century. Many know him as the author of “Les Miserables,” which was then adapted to the famed musical. Or others might recognize his work “Notre Dame de Paris,” in its English title “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” He is well-noted for the populism {…}
“Lucrezia Borgia” may not belong to the “Tudor Trilogy” of Donizetti operas, but it is still among the most challenging operas for the lead soprano in the composer’s oeuvre. The work had its world premiere on Dec. 26, 1833 at La Scala and while it did well throughout the 19th century, it struggled to find an audience throughout the 20th {…}
Mariella Devia has said goodbye to her “Lucrezia Borgia.” After decades of singing the difficult Bel Canto role for decades, the soprano sang her final “Lucrezia” in La Coruña on Sept. 23. The performance marked Devia’s 35th anniversary since her debut in Galicia. It also marked the first time the opera was being performed at the Teatro Colon in La Coruna. {…}
BR Klassik will present Donizetti’s “Lucrezia Borgia” from the Salzburg Festival. The opera will be presented at 7:30 CEST according to the broadcast company’s website. “Lucrezia Borgia” stars Krassimira Stoyanova, Juan Diego Florez and Ildar Abdrazakov. Marco Armiliato conducted the two performance run, which took place during the last week of the festival and was met with positive reviews. The run {…}