On March 9, 1842, Verdi scored his first major success with his opera “Nabucco.” Two years later, on March 9, 1844, the composer scored another riveting success with the world premiere of his “Ernani.” While the respective journeys of these two works have diverged over the one-hundred plus years since their respective debuts (“Nabucco” is a cornerstone of the repertoire {…}
Jamie Barton is the 2017 winner of the Beverly Sills Artist Award, given to extraordinarily gifted singers between the ages of 25 and 40 who have already appeared in featured solo roles at the Met. Barton made her Met debut in 2009 as the Second Lady in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte.” She would return in 2013 to take on the role {…}
The Los Angeles Opera’s 2017-18 season promises to feature a number of major classics and some new works as well. Carmen In total there are eight operas, including “Carmen” which kicks off the new season on Sept. 9. The 6-show run stars Ana María Martinez in the title role while Amanda Woodbury plays Michaela. Alexander Vinogradov portrays Escamillo and James {…}
Renato Bruson is one of the famous Verdi baritones of all time. His rotund sound had such tremendous range that allowed him to tackle all of the composer’s major roles, almost all to resounding success. He also had such a fantastic technical mastery of his voice that, despite being born on Jan. 13, 1936, he could still be heard singing {…}
Plácido Domingo heads to the cinemas on Saturday as he returns to the role of Verdi’s “Nabucco” as part of the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series. The performance will feature Domingo in the title role, for which he has garnered rave reviews. OperaWire noted that the role “fits him like a glove… At 75, his voice, while possessing an {…}
The weekend of Jan. 6-8 will see the return of many prominent opera companies around the country after a lengthy holiday hiatus. The Metropolitan Opera, which continues throughout the year, will feature three popular works including “La Boheme,” an HD performance of Verdi’s “Nabucco” and evening showcase of Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” starring Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo. Nabucco stars {…}
New Years weekend will not be particularly active in the American opera scene. Only three major companies will make their respective presences felt as the calendar turns from 2016 to 2017. The Metropolitan Opera will continue its full slate of operas, showcasing three works to end the year. There will be two performances given on Friday, December 30. At 12 {…}
Fans will get a chance to meet with Placido Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera Store on Jan 4, 2017 at 3 p.m. The legendary singer will be on hand to sign CD’s and DVD’s from his massive recording library. The tenor-turned-baritone releases new recordings every year. His most recent arrivals include a DVD of Verdi’s “I Due Foscari” at the {…}
Russell Thomas will grace millions of viewers in the United States with his brilliant tenor during the midnight mass on Christmas Eve at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The tenor made the announcement via Twitter. He slated to sing “O Holy Night” during the mass. Thomas is currently performing a run of Verdi’s “Nabucco” at the Metropolitan Opera alongside Placido Domingo, {…}
This review is for the performance on Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. Verdi’s famed overture for his first masterwork “Nabucco” starts off with a few brass calls followed by a massive explosion of sound a few bars later. From there Verdi’s music traverses the contrast between a glorious melody clamoring for peace and one of military drive. It is this contrast between {…}
The holiday season means that few opera companies are in full swing in the United States. Thankfully, as the case last weekend, there are still operas pulling out the stops to ensure that opera-hungry audiences are not left famished. Here are the opera companies in the US. On Friday, the Metropolitan Opera showcases its second performance of Verdi’s “Nabucco” starring {…}