(Credit: Palau de la Música Catalana official website) Famed Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen has received an Honorary Knighthood by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, for services to music and to relations between the United Kingdom and Finland. “This is a true personal honor, but more than that, it is meaningful to have artists honored at a national – at a {…}
(Credit: Julien Pohl) Belgian conductor Patrick Davin has died at the age of 58 on September 9, 2020, after suffering a heart attack before one of the rehearsals of the Jean-Luc Fafchamps’ pop-requiem “Is This the End?” at La Monnaie Opera House in Brussels. The former student of Pierre Boulez and Peter Eötvös, Davin was frequently invited to perform works {…}
(Credit: Allan Richard Tobis) Russian lyric coloratura soprano Elena Tsallagova is a member of the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She has performed on a number of the biggest opera stages in the world, including Opéra National de Paris and Lyric Opera of Chicago, among others. Known for her deep vocal versatility and theatrical prowess, Tsallagova has performed title {…}
Quebec-native Marie-Nicole Lemieux, C.M., C.Q., is one of the highest-rated contraltos in the world, performing regularly at Covent Garden, Theater an der Wien, Barcelona’s Liceu, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, and singing alongside such luminaries as Anna Netrebko and Plácido Domingo. Name a world-class orchestra or maestro, and Lemieux has more than likely worked with them at some point in her {…}
Debussy’s masterwork “Pelléas et Mélisande” is one of the most glorious operas ever written. Its melodies are elusive, but when performed at its maximum expression, it can wrap you up and transport you to a different state in a way only few other operas can. It is truly a masterwork. The Metropolitan Opera produced the work for the first time {…}
This week, Debussy’s masterwork “Pelléas et Mélisande” returns to the Metropolitan Opera stage for the first time since 2011. The opera will feature Paul Appleby and Isabel Leonard in the title roles respectively. Appleby will be the 15th Pelléas in Met history while Leonard will be the 17th singer to inhabit the role of his doomed lover Mélisande. Here is {…}
Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” is one of opera’s greatest works and on Friday night, the Teatro Colón, in a production by Susanna Gómez (continuing the work of its original director, the late Gustavo Tambascio), reminded everyone why. The French work is often mentioned in the same breath as Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde,” undeniably because the composer was, at that time, {…}
Claude Debussy, born on August 22, 1862, is one of France’s greatest composer. For many, he is the face of the impressionist movement, even though he himself rejected the term. Debussy was not born into wealth or music, but he had the gift as early as the age of 10, entering the Conservatoire de Paris. He studied music there before {…}
Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” is one of the great operas of all time. Premiering on April 30, 1902, the work was conceived as a major work of the 20th century. Debussy himself had fashioned the work with the idea of moving toward a new operatic ideal that he described as “No time, no place. No big scene […] Music in {…}
West Edge Opera has announced its 2018 summer festival which will feature some unique operatic gems. All performances will take place at the Craneway Conference Center. The season opens on August 4 with Debussy’s masterful “Pélleas et Mélisande.” The work will be directed by Keturah Stickan in her company debut with Kendra Broom and David Blalock in the title roles. {…}
Debussy’s operatic gem “Pelléas et Mélisande” gets a live stream on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, as part of the Vienna State Opera’s season-long showcase of its productions online. The opera will be conducted by Daniel Harding with sets and direction by Marco Arturo Marelli. Peter Rose, Janina Baechle, Bernard Richter, Simon Keenlyside and Christiane Karg headline the cast. The production {…}