C Major has revealed that it will be recording a performance of “Aida” from this summer’s Salzburg Festival. The company put up the recording information for the production on its website. Why is this important? Because it hints at the possibility of the performance being released on DVD at a later date. And of course, these performances from Salzburg will {…}
The role of Violetta Valery in Verdi’s “La Traviata” is said to be one of the most complex soprano roles in the repertoire, requiring a soprano with musical versatility and acting skills. In the past few years, many sopranos have dominated the role and created memorable portrayals. One such soprano is Corinne Winters, the Maryland-born singer who is making a {…}
Maestro Gianandrea Noseda has canceled performances at the Teatro Regio Torino due to a herniated disc that he recently suffered. He was conducting Verdi’s “Macbeth,” which he will, unfortunately, hand over to conductor Giulio Laguzzi, who was recommended by Noseda to finish out the run. “Maestro Noseda suffers from low back sciatalgica syndrome of lumbar disc herniation that occurred yesterday {…}
For decades Riccardo Muti has been one of the finest interpreters of Verdi’s music. In fact, his understanding of the great composer’s style has created countless imitators, but few with the capacity of truly understanding the balance between a propulsive rhythmic emphasis and the nuance of Verdian singing. On Thursday, June 22, 2017, the maestro showcased his interpretative genius with {…}
“Rigoletto” can’t be topped for its humanity. A father and a daughter, a jester, a virginal naif, longing for and trying to sustain a good a life in selfish and lecherous world, power-hungry and greedy, 16th century Mantua. Such is the subject of Verdi’s middle period masterpiece. The libretto by Francisco Maria Piave is based on the play “Le Roi {…}
Maria Agresta has quickly risen to fame in the opera world. She has made debuts in all the great theaters including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, and Royal Opera House. She has also become the go-to soprano for the Verdi repertoire singing roles in “I Due Foscari,” “Il Trovatore,” “I Masnadieri,” “La Traviata” and “Simon Boccanegra.” This month she {…}
Liudmyla Monastyrska is one of the most in-demand Verdi sopranos of her time. Just look at her repertoire and engagements and you will see that the Ukrainian soprano has run the gamut of the great composer’s repertoire. From the earliest works to “Aida,” Verdi’s final dramatic soprano role, Monastyrska has deep knowledge of Verdi’s artistic development. Among the roles that {…}
Verdi’s “I Vespri Siciliani” is something of an oddity. Composed on the heels of his famous trilogy of “Rigoletto,” “Il Trovatore,” and “La Traviata,” and with a premiere on June 13, 1855, one might have expected that the composer would have up the ante. “Verdi” was excited about the possibility of conquering Paris after coming into such massive artistic maturity, {…}
Jan Peerce and Neil Shicoff are two of the great tenors in the history of opera, and they were born just one day—and 45 years—apart. Peerce’s birthday is on June 3, 1904, while Shicoff’s is June 2, 1949. If you’ve read our previous work, you know what to expect here: an examination of the operas and composers that united these {…}
What do you do when your lead soprano cancels your production? You cancel the show and put on a concert of excerpts. That is exactly what the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, did when soprano Kristin Lewis, singing the role of Elisabetta, was taken to the hospital a few hours before the performance. Since the company did not have another {…}
New York City Opera will continue its relationship with Bryant Park this summer, featuring a number of productions. The company kicked off this series last week with “Los Elementos,” but there will be an encore performance on May 30, 2017. OperaWire reviewed a previous performance of the opera, writing, “In general, it was a great performance and City Opera can {…}
