Per the Met’s press office DiGiacomo has always been scheduled to perform the Dec. 28 performance. Sonya Yoncheva will no longer perform the Dec. 28 performance of Verdi’s “Otello” at the Metropolitan Opera. The soprano’s team announced via Twitter that she would no longer appear in the performance. The soprano is slated to be at the Opéra de Paris for New {…}
If you wanted to list off the greatest baritones of the 20th century, Tito Gobbi will land somewhere on that list. Born on Oct. 24, 1913, the baritone actually started his career studying law. But a family friend suggested that he study singing. So he moved from Padua, where he was studying, to Rome. In 1935, at the age of {…}
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 {…}
Ramón Vinay is one of the greatest dramatic tenors to ever live. Born on August 31, 1911 in Chile, the tenor would actually kickstart his career as a baritone in Mexico in 1938. His tenor debut came in 1943 and he would go on to perform all around the world at such houses as the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, {…}
Mario Del Monaco is one of the singers that often springs to mind when people talk about the Golden Age of Singing. Born on July 27, 1915 to an upper-class family in Florence, he graduated from the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro. It was there that he met Renata Tebaldi, with whom he would form an operatic “dream team” later in {…}
Last year, rising Verdi star Russell Thomas spoke to OperaWire about his strategy for easing into such a titanic role the title role in Verdi’s “Otello.” “I always thought if I would try to take on such a monumental task, the first outing would have to be in concert so I can focus only on the singing and not have to {…}
Opera is home to some of humanity’s most infamous villains: manipulative characters who lie, cheat, and steal, pillage and murder, and generally ruin the loves of the innocent, unsuspecting heroes and heroines that we all know and love. But conflict and tension form the bones of most great art, and opera would not be opera without the Iagos, Scarpias, and {…}
Russian Baritone Sergei Leiferkus, born on April 4, 1946, is recognized for his unique vocal quality. If you haven’t heard him before, then you should, because he has one of the most individual sounds you’ll ever hear. In fact, here’s an excerpt from a role we will talk about in a bit. In any case, the baritone enjoyed a solid {…}
Verdi’s “Otello” takes over the Vienna State Opera’s streaming service on March 18, 2018. The final tragic masterwork of its creator will feature Roberto Alagna in the title role with his real-life wife Aleksandra Kurzak playing the ill-fated Desdemona. Dalibor Jenis portrays Jago and Alexandru Moisiuc as Lodovico. Dan Ettinger conducts. The stream kicks off at 6:30 p.m. local time {…}
It’s officially the month of March Madness and to celebrate the month which will see “Elektra” and “Lucia di Lammermoor” open at the Metropolitan Opera, OperaWire will be writing a weekly article on our favorite mad scenes, favorite interpretations of mad scenes and some of the most iconic performances of mad scenes. Lucia di Lammermoor-“Il Dolce Suono” Donizetti’s mad scene {…}
This Saturday, March 3, 2018, the Washington National Opera will be staging a four-act version of “Don Carlo” with a superstar cast. While many might turn to the likes of Leah Crocetto, Jamie Barton, or Eric Owens, for the star power, tenor Russell Thomas is poised to have a big night in his Washington National Opera debut. Thomas recently spoke {…}