There are a ton of Verdi tenors out there capable of dominating his major roles. But few are like Francesco Meli. The Italian tenor has made the works of the great Busetto genius his bread and better, performing such major works as “La Traviata,” “Il Trovatore,” “Rigoletto,” “Nabucco,” “Macbeth,” “Ernani,” “Don Carlo,” “Luisa Miller,” “Un Ballo in Maschera” and even some {…}
For Luca Salsi, there is no composer better than Verdi. No one. Salsi, the Italian baritone, who is slated to sing the role of Amonasro at the Salzburg Festival starting in early August, has repeatedly professed that no composer in the history of Italian opera was able to fuse music and text with the same level of conviction and depth. {…}
Riccardo Muti, born on July 28, 1941, is one of the greatest conductors of all time. He has specialized in the Italian repertoire, particularly the works of Verdi and has been incredibly valuable in bringing some of the composer’s early works to the fore. Muti has also been recognized for performing works without cuts and sticking to what is written {…}
The world’s greatest opera singers are immersed in a wide range of activities as the summer season hits its apex. Some are on vacation, while others are rigorously rehearsing for upcoming performances. Anna Netrebko previewed a section from “Aida” on her Instagram. The clip showed Netrebko in the rehearsal room alongside her colleagues and Riccardo Muti conducting. “Aida” opens on {…}
C Major has revealed that it will be recording a performance of “Aida” from this summer’s Salzburg Festival. The company put up the recording information for the production on its website. Why is this important? Because it hints at the possibility of the performance being released on DVD at a later date. And of course, these performances from Salzburg will {…}
For decades Riccardo Muti has been one of the finest interpreters of Verdi’s music. In fact, his understanding of the great composer’s style has created countless imitators, but few with the capacity of truly understanding the balance between a propulsive rhythmic emphasis and the nuance of Verdian singing. On Thursday, June 22, 2017, the maestro showcased his interpretative genius with {…}
When considered in the context of his entire oeuvre, Verdi’s “Attila” is far from a masterpiece. When propped up against his best work, this early work simply doesn’t hold up. In fact, prominent Verdi scholars, such as Julian Budden, have criticized the opera and called it “the heaviest and noisiest of the Risorgimento operas, blunt in style, daubed in thick garish {…}
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 {…}
On Jan.3, 1843 Donizetti’s comic masterpiece “Don Pasquale” made its premiere with immediate success. It immediately became part of the standard repertoire and a piece that was translated into French, and performed all over the world. Since its premiere the opera has been performed more than 700 times and has been recorded by many great artists. To celebrate the works {…}
Have you ever dreamed of joining Anna Netrebko on stage? The Salzburg Festival could make that a reality as it is currently casting supers for its new production of Verdi’s “Aida.” The festival is looking for athletic men from ages 20 to 60 and is holding auditions on Jan. 12 at 6 pm at the Karl Bohm auditorium. The supers are {…}