Tenor John Osborn, born on May 16, 1972, has enjoyed a prolific career specializing in opera repertoire that few other tenors venture to take on. The artist, who hails from Sioux Falls, Iowa, studied at Simpson College and made his professional debut at the Des Moines Metro Opera in 1993. He would then go on to win the Metropolitan Opera {…}
Over the course of three years, between 1810 and 1813, Rossini rushed off five farces and a two-act opera for the Teatro Moise in Venice, which, unfortunately, closed its doors in 1818, and was subsequently demolished, although not before serving time as a puppet theatre and then as the city’s first cinema. The theater may be gone and largely forgotten, {…}
Few singers had or have what Polish coloratura contralto Ewa Podles had – an expansive range. A three-octave range to be exact. Born on April 26, 1952 in Warsaw, Poland, Podles studied a the Warsaw Academy of Music and quickly established herself internationally at the age of 32 when she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the title role of {…}
After a delightful performance of Isouard’s “Cendrillon” during their fall 2017 season, Manhattan School of Music (MSM) showcased another version of the beloved story of Cinderella this weekend, with Rossini’s “La Cenerentola. ” While still celebrating the success of “The Barber of Seville” and not yet 25-years-old, Gioacchino Rossini met Jacopo Ferretti and together they decided to create “La Cenerentola, Ossia La {…}
Nine house debuts in one season. That’s a pretty daunting task for any artist, especially when considering the pressures that come with each individual one of those contrasting environments. But imagine making those house debuts while making role debuts. It’s one thing to try out a new opera in a familiar place, but to do it where you have no {…}
This Saturday, audiences around the world will get a chance to see a rare performance of Rossini’s final Italian opera “Semiramide” in cinemas as part of the company’s famed Live in HD broadcast. The showcase kicks off at 12:25 p.m. EDT and will star Angela Meade in the title role alongside Elizabeth DeShong as Arsace, Ildar Abdrazakov as Assur, and {…}
Of Rossini’s opera’s “Semiramide,” his final Italian work, is often considered one of his finest. You probably would not draw that conclusion from the performance at the Metropolitan Opera on Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. The opera, which tells the tale of the “battle” for the throne of Babylon in the wake of its fallen monarch Nino, is a rather long {…}
Rossini never composed a more famous opera than “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” In fact, the work, which world premiered on Feb. 20, 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome, is arguably the world’s most famous opera comedy, full stop. It’s popularity is proven simply by the fact that the work has never left the repertory since its debut over 200 {…}
The Vienna State Opera will be live streaming its presentation of Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. The performance features Isabel Leonard in the title role. But the superstar will also be joined by the likes of Luca Pisaroni, Alessio Ardiuni, Maxim Mironov, and Paolo Rumetz. Jean-Christophe Spinosi will conduct with Sven-Eric Bechtolf as director. The stream kicks {…}
Lawrence Brownlee is one of the great bel canto tenors of this generation, singing the works of Donizetti, Rossini, and Bellini, among others, to tremendous critical success around the globe. He is currently in the midst of a run in one of his signature roles as Arturo in Bellini’s “I Puritani” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and prepping for {…}
Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” has always been the gold standard for Italian opera buffa as it is based on the Figaro plays of 18th-century French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais. It seems that the buffa-style laughs and gags endemic to this masterpiece were not enough for Spanish director Joan Font, whose version is currently running at Houston Grand Opera. What {…}