In 1840 Verdi’s second opera, and his first attempt at comedy, “Un Giorno di Regno,” was premiered at La Scala in Milan to widespread criticism, criticism that the composer took to heart to the point that it took more than 50 years before he would write another comedy. Of course, we know how that second comedic experiment turned out as {…}
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 {…}
It’s been a summer of debuts for Russell Thomas and he is about to make yet another one on Thursday, July 27, when he takes on the title role in “La Clemenza di Tito” at the Salzburg Festival. This will be Thomas’ first time singing at the festival in a role that he has previously conquered. The American tenor took {…}
The Teatro Municipal Jorge Eliecer Gaitán is not among the most aesthetically pleasing of auditoriums in the city of Bogotá, Colombia. Dedicated to one of the great tragic figures in Colombian history, a man known for his support of the disenfranchised (his assassination led to one of the most prominent massacres in Colombian history), the theater is rather minimal in {…}
Giuseppe Di Stefano is one of the great Italian tenors in history. For many, he possessed the most beautiful timbre of any lyric tenor and some fans lament the tenor’s insistence on singing operas that were often darker and heavier than his lyric could seemingly handle. And yet, one of the reasons why Pippo, born on July 24, 1921, was {…}
Marina Rebeka has announced the release of her “La Traviata” from Hannover. The soprano tweeted about the recording stating, “A video recording of ‘La Traviata,’ from last year’s performance in Maschpark in Hannover, is now available.” The DVD is being released by Naxos and also stars Francesco Demuro and Thomas Hampson. The semi-staged concert performance is conducted by Kerri-Lynn Wilson. {…}
Maria Agresta has pulled out of two concert performances of Verdi’s “I Due Foscari” as she undergoes an operation. In her stead, audiences will hear Chinese soprano Guanqun Yu. Yu placed second in the 2012 Operalia Competition and has showcased her talents around the world. In 2017-18 she is slated to take on the role of Liù in “Turandot” at {…}
In a time when Tito Gobbi and Ettore Bastiani reigned supreme, Aldo Protti wasn’t quite given all that much appreciation. The baritone, born on July 19, 1920, has since retained his place in the history books. And while he is not universally hailed as the greatest, or even of the greatest of all-time, Protti retains the stature of being one {…}
The Boston Odyssey Opera has announced its new season and it is packed with a number of operatic gems. With the 2016-17 season dedicated to the writings of Oscar Wilde, the 2017-18 will shift focus to Joan of Arc. Aptly titled “Trial by Fire: Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years War,” the new season will feature operas related to {…}