For years Olga Borodina was one of the leading mezzo-sopranos in the world, singing in all the major opera houses and dominating the lyric and dramatic mezzo repertoire. She possessed comic timing in multiple Rossini roles and was a dramatic tour de force in roles like Amneris, the Princess of Bouillon and Laura in “La Gioconda.” She also brought brilliance to the {…}
Virginia Opera has announced its 2017-18 season, which will feature four masterworks from the repertoire. The season opens in late September with a production of Saint-Saëns’ “Samson and Delilah.” The work will get three performances in Norfolk on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 and 3, 2017. It heads to Fairfax the following weekend, on Oct. 7 and 8, before shifting over {…}
When you hear the name Leonard Warren, you always hear another name – Verdi. The baritone, born on April 21, 1911, was dedicated to the great Italian and practically sang every great baritone role that Verdi wrote. You name it. For many, he was the ultimate Rigoletto (he performed the opera 89 times at the Metropolitan Opera), while others will {…}
The Vienna State Opera is presenting over 50 operas next season and that can be overwhelming for any opera lover trying to pick out what they want to see. After analyzing the immense season, OperaWire has selected what we think will be unmissable nights at the Vienna State Opera. Adriana Lecouvreur The revival of this famed production marks the second {…}
Denyce Graves is regarded as one of the great mezzos of the 20th century. For years she dominated the stage in many leading roles and after her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1995, became a household name around the world. Born on March 7, 1964, the mezzo-soprano has built an extensive repertoire throughout her career and she continues to find interesting roles that {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has cancelled plans to stage Damiano Micheletto’s version of Saint-Saens’ “Samson et Dalila.” According to the AP, Gelb said, “Michieletto is a very talented director, however, this production of ‘Samson’ just didn’t click with the Parisian public.” As a matter of fact the production was booed when opened last year at the Opera de Paris. Michieletto restructured {…}
Waltraud Meier is recognized as one of the world’s greatest Wagnerians as she has performed most of the great soprano and mezzo roles from the composer. For 20 years she was the Isolde of choice for most houses and she also succeeded as Kundry in “Parsifal.” However, most will forget that the singer accomplished great acclaim in the types of {…}