Karita Mattila has announced that she will sing in Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.” The Finnish soprano announced via Twitter that she had signed a contract to do her first Isolde. The tweet stated, “I LOVE it! I love these imaginative thoughts. I completely had an ‘awakening’ with Ring in San Fran last summer, meaning: WAGNER. The ‘complicated relationship’ was over {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features Adam McKay’s “Anchorman {…}
“Tristan und Isolde,” which had its world premiere on June 10, 1865, might be the greatest opera of all time. Or it might simply be the most revolutionary. Its entire musical philosophy was so unique that it revolutionized classical music forever. Wagner wrote the work after falling in love with the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer. He also was involved in {…}
Siegfried Jerusalem could not have been better named. The Oberhausen native, born on April 17, 1940, would grow up to be one of the great 20th century interpreters of his namesake in Wagner’s famed “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” The tenor actually studied piano, violin, and bassoon in his formative years and started his career as a bassoon player. Eventually, at {…}
Anticipation. Expectancy. The pulse of Act two of “Tristan und Isolde” in concert performance at Carnegie Hall. Under the baton of Andris Nelsons, Ray and Maria Stata Music Director of the Boston Symphony, everything was set in motion – the lover galloping to his beloved, heralded by the offstage brass . The woman waiting with rapid heart-beat for his arrival. The {…}
Tenor Jonas Kaufmann is in the midst of singing live performances of the second act of Wagner’s “Tristan Und Isolde,” a work many have been anticipating from the German tenor for many years. And while seeing him sing the second act is quite enticing (reviews have been overwhelmingly positive), it seems that he is planning on adding the full role {…}
It’s Valentine’s Day, the day to cherish a significant other. Last year we took a cynical look at the holiday, but not this year. Opera is rife with love, almost every single plot in every single work has some communion of two persons in that blissful word. In fact, love in opera has incited just as many battles and tension {…}
Opera is rife with sweeping love duets. Some are of passionate bliss while others of a more mature variety. As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, we turn to a handful of opera’s greatest declarations of love between two lovers from the classical repertoire. Continue to find out which of the selected love duets suits your romantic evening (and don’t worry, the {…}
Cennarium is giving a massive gift to opera fans the world over. This weekend, in celebration of Opera Week, the streaming service will showcase four different works. The festivities get started with “The Magic Flute” for Children and “The Circus Princess,” both on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. EST. The former is a condensed, 60-minute version of the Mozart {…}
Jon Vickers, born on Oct. 29, 1926, built up a career as one of the finest dramatic tenors of his time. He conquered a wide range of repertoire across a wide range of houses, became associated with quite a few roles, and then went on to make acclaimed recordings with other major superstars. Vickers’ career got kickstarted in 1957 when {…}
René Pape is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, living bass of his generation. He has performed with all the leading opera companies and has sung numerous leading roles. But there is a composer that he has become associated with, in particular, Wagner. In celebration of Pape’s birthday on Sept. 4, 1964, OperaWire looks at some of {…}