I had never gone to the Berkshire Opera Festival. It had a strong reputation, built over a few seasons. And so, on my first visit to see its “Rigoletto,” I expected to enjoy it. Classics like “Rigoletto” — even when not every element is perfect, still, somehow are able to work. And what happened instead is that I was blown {…}
Ramón Vinay is one of the greatest dramatic tenors to ever live. Born on August 31, 1911 in Chile, the tenor would actually kickstart his career as a baritone in Mexico in 1938. His tenor debut came in 1943 and he would go on to perform all around the world at such houses as the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, {…}
Richard Tucker is one of America’s great operatic gems. The tenor, born on August 28, 1913, in Brooklyn was actually born Rivn Ticker, though his parents adopted “Tucker” as their official last name by the time their son was of school age. He was a musical natural from an early age and throughout his teenage years, he was singing in {…}
Over the past few years, the Berkshire Opera Festival has seen tremendous expansion at the hands of Artistic Director Brian Garman and General Director Jonathon Loy. “The festival has grown in several different ways even though we continue to produce one MainStage show,” Loy told OperaWire in a recent interview. “The growth is both internal and in the community. I {…}
We are aware that we have done our fair share of movie related opera quizzes (Don’t know what we’re talking about? Click here or here). And here we are again. Of course, it’s just fun to look into the two great art forms and see how they correspond with another. But we also wanted to bring this quiz into the {…}
There are a ton of great Spanish artists throughout the history of opera. Juan Pons is one of them. Born in Ciutadella, Spain on August 8, 1946, Pons (or Joan Pons Álvarez as he was born), would really kickstart his career in the 1980s when he made his international debut at La Scala. That kicked off a career that featured {…}
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 {…}
Last year, rising Verdi star Russell Thomas spoke to OperaWire about his strategy for easing into such a titanic role the title role in Verdi’s “Otello.” “I always thought if I would try to take on such a monumental task, the first outing would have to be in concert so I can focus only on the singing and not have to {…}
Carlo Bergonzi was one of the leading Italian tenors of the Golden era of the 20th century. Known for his elegant phrasing, Bergonzi built up his career dominating in the repertoire of one particular composer (more on that later). Born on July 13, 1924, Bergonzi’s career actually started off as a baritone before he eventually realized that he was a {…}
Dangerously close to the genre of farce, Verdi’s “Falstaff” almost lifts the burden of tough singing from its players. Centered on a large ensemble cast to which – with the exception of the titular protagonist – the vocal challenges are doled out almost equally, its arias are largely scant. Transferring the setting from 15th-century London to a fanciful, blown-up and {…}
Ever wonder what Mozart or Verdi might have thought about the changes that music took on nearly 100 years after them? It would certainly be interesting to see what they would have felt and how they might have connected to musicians of the last half-century. It would have been even more interesting to see what they felt of the direction {…}