Riccardo Muti is one of the greatest conductors that the opera world has known. Known for his domination of the Italian repertoire and his strict adherence to the score, Muti has carved out a musical legacy across two continents that few before or after him can claim. In celebrating his birthday on July 28, we have concocted a little quiz {…}
Few conductors have had such enduring and impactful careers as Italian maestro Riccardo Muti. Born on July 28, 1941, the conductor studied composition and conducting at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan and would eventually work his way to principal conductor and music director of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Since then Muti has been everywhere. He was the music director {…}
The Teatro San Carlo has announced its 2018-19 season. The season will include some of the biggest stars in opera as well as some rare gems. Here is a look at what San Carlo will offer operagoers next season. Productions Riccardo Muti conducts the opening night with a new production by Chiara Muti of Mozart’s “Così Fan Tutte.” Alessio Arduini, {…}
Celebrating 60 years of the Chicago Symphony Chorus was no easy task given the unit’s reputation for quality. That anniversary was marked this past weekend with a program highlighted by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus putting forth an absolutely sublime Schubert Mass in E-Flat major. The three-part program began with maestro Riccardo Muti and the CSO performing the overture {…}
At the start of Rossini’s “Semiramide,” Arsace returns to Babylon after a long time away. For years, Elizabeth DeShong has been a fixture at the Metropolitan Opera singing in such operas as “La Rondine,” “Aida,” “The Enchanted Island,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Madama Butterfly,” and “Lulu.” Then after the 2015-16 season, she did not return until now to take on {…}
Riccardo Muti will return to the Vienna State Opera for the first time in 12 years. During a press conference at the historic Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Director of the Vienna State Opera, Dominique Meyer, along with the General Director and the Artistic Director of the Teatro San Carlo Rosanna Purchia and Paolo Pinamonti announced a joint project {…}
Salzburg Festival is about luxury. The audience is filled with celebrities, the casts are filled with stars, and the (relatively) higher priced tickets, all show its luxury. Yet, what defines its luxury, for me, is its long rehearsal period. When Anna Netrebko said in an interview how she wanted more rehearsals and Riccardo Muti said “preparing an opera the way {…}
Opera continues to break records with this weekend’s ratings of Verdi’s “Aida.” According to ORF, the TV screening of “Aida” from the Salzburg Festival took a 17 percent market share this weekend. The reports noted that there were an estimated 473,000 viewers. The production starred reigning diva Anna Netrebko, Francesco Meli, Ekaterina Semenchuk and Luca Salsi. Riccardo Muti conducted the Vienna Philharmonic {…}
Maria Guleghina and Salvatore Licitra were always great friends and onstage partners. They also celebrated birthdays one year apart. With Guleghina born on August 9 and Licitra on August 10, it is no surprise that we continue to find links between these two great artists and that in some ways, their legacy is joined. Of course, the two had incredible {…}
The Salzburg Festival is donating 50,000 Euros to facilitate musical education for Syrian refugee children in Jordan over the next two years. The festival announced that the money being donated to MECI (Middle East Children’s Institute) was the net profit from ticket sales for the dress rehearsal of Verdi’s “Aida” performed on August 3, 2017. The performance starred Anna Netrebko, Francesco Meli, {…}
Ever since 2002, Anna Netrebko has been a mainstay at the Salzburg Festival, headlining some of the most acclaimed productions of the showcase. In fact, her productions have often drawn some of the biggest audiences due to her magnetic star power and brilliant stage presence. This week looks to be no different as the diva headlines another new production, Verdi’s {…}