Daniel Barenboim, born on Nov. 15, 1942, is one of the world’s greatest conductors. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he would go to become a child prodigy as a pianist, taking on conducting in later years. Nowadays he is well-regarded for his wide-ranging musicianship, which has undoubtedly extended into the world of opera. His opera conducting debut came in 1973 {…}
Staging a new production of a Ring cycle is always daunting because of history; no other opera is held up in comparison to previous productions more than Wagner’s grand gesamtkunstwerk. How David Pountney’s new production, now halfway complete at Lyric Opera of Chicago, holds up to history remains to be seen after his “Die Walküre” opened Wednesday night in front {…}
Vincenzo Bellini isn’t the most revolutionary of opera composers. In fact, his work is rather simple and his operas, most of them featuring questionable libretti, are not necessarily the most complex dramatic works (with the exception of “Norma”). And yet, the composer, born on Nov. 3, 1801, is among the most beloved in the opera world and even earned the {…}
Cheryl Studer, one of the most unique sopranos in recent history. Born on Oct. 24, 1955, she put together an enviable career that ranged from singing a tremendous amount of opera roles as dramatic and lyric soprano and then mezzo, to winning a plethora of major awards, to eventually becoming a teacher. She recorded countless albums and her legacy is {…}
Conductor Georg Solti contributed a tremendous amount to the world of opera, leading some of the greatest singers at the greatest houses in the great works ever written. Born on Oct. 21, 1912, in Budapest, he built up a sturdy career in the opera world, working prominently at such companies as the Salzburg Festival and Hungarian State Opera in his {…}
Wagner’s ‘Tannhaüser’ is an opera that combines elements of Romantic-era storytelling with those of French grand opera. Premiering on October 19, 1845, the story grapples with the theme of lust versus love, and centers on the experiences of a knight/bard minnesinger named Tannhaüser. Shortly after its premiere, Wagner made a number of changes; after adding vocal selection and clarifying the {…}
Opinions on regietheater can be quite divided although anyone with a negative one should have a level of understanding for what Oper Köln is currently undergoing. The company’s opera house, located in the center of the city in the square named for native son Jacques Offenbach, is currently being renovated. That has required Oper Köln to shift to several locations {…}
Das Rheingold is the first of Richard Wagner’s famous ‘Ring’ cycle and had its world premiere on Sept. 22, 1869. The libretto for the work was interestingly composed after the other three works in the cycle, though it was the first to be composed and performance of the tetralogy. “Das Rheingold” reveals the origin of the ring forged from the {…}
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 {…}
We saw Jonas Kaufmann sing for a sick Piotr Beczala while the latter mimed onstage. We saw a stage director sub in for a sick tenor even more recently. But we’d never seen an assistant director don a wig and play Brünhilde while another singer took on the vocal challenges. Until now. As the famed “Götterdämmerung” at the Bayreuth Festival {…}
Premiering on August 28, 1850, Richard Wagner’s ‘Lohengrin’ is steeped in medieval Christian and Germanic folklore. This tale, drawing upon the tradition of the Holy Grail, enamored King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who would give Wagner the patronage to fund the construction of the Richard-Wagner-Festpielhaus. Short summary: At a gathering of the Germanic clans held in Brabant, King Henry the {…}