Vittorio Grigolo is one of the most acclaimed tenors of his generation and has already been hailed as the successor to Luciano Pavarotti, his greatest qualities including his rampant energy and charisma on stage. On Feb. 19 Grigolo celebrates his 40th birthday and as a result OperaWire takes a look at some his most acclaimed roles The Duke in “Rigoletto” Vittorio Grigolo {…}
Isabel Leonard turns 35 on Saturday Feb. 18. The singer’s stature has grown over the past few years as the artist, so beloved around the United States, has seen her profile grow ever greater around the world. She is coming off major turns as Adalgisa in “Norma” and Charlotte in “Werther,” which she is currently performing at the Metropolitan Opera. {…}
Giuseppe Verdi’s “Giovanna d’Arco” is the seventh opera the composer wrote with its premiere coming on Feb. 15 , 1845. While the opera is considered one of the lesser works by Verdi and has at times been criticized for its choral music, the work does have a lot of merit, particularly in its writing for the character of Giovanna. It {…}
Renée Fleming is one of the most iconic sopranos of our time as she has broken the mold for what it means to be an operatic diva. On February 14, Fleming celebrates her 58th birthday and OperaWire celebrates it by taking a look at what makes Fleming such an inspiration. Intelligence and Depth Every time Renée Fleming approaches a role, {…}
For years Joyce DiDonato has been a master in the Bel Canto repertoire singing Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti. Her vocal flexibility and nuance has brought new musical insights to some of this neglected repertoire, her approach often innovative. This week DiDonato took on the role of Rossini’s “Semiramide” for the first time at the Bayerische Staatsoper and after listening to the premiere {…}
February 11, 1840. Donizetti was premiering his latest work, a French comedy known as “La Fille du Regiment.” Among his works, it was a true rarity in its approach to style. He had a lot banking on this work, looking to fully establish his reputation in the cultural capital of the world. But it was a disaster. One of the {…}
On Friday, Feb. 10, legendary soprano soprano Leontyne Price turns 90. The soprano is perhaps one of the greatest in the history of all of opera, her influence spreading far and wide. Not only do other artists embrace her greatness, but her prominence on the operatic stage in the 50’s and 60’s helped open the door for black singers to {…}
Hildegard Beherens is regarded as one of the greatest dramatic sopranos of the 20th century as she delivered intensity in everything she portrayed. Sometimes criticized for her over acting, whatever Behrens did on stage was still effective and memorable. In celebration of the great soprano’s birthday, OperaWire takes a look at the mad scenes that Behrens portrayed. Salome One can {…}
On Feb. 5, 1911, the world was given the great gift that was Jussi Björling. The Swedish tenor became an icon throughout his career, his perfect vocal control a defining feature of his extensive career. Björling is in many ways synonymous with the Metropolitan Opera, becoming one of the company’s principal artists throughout the 1940’s and 50’s singing a wide {…}
Martina Arroyo is one of the greatest singers of 1960’s and 1980’s and was part of the first generation of black opera singers to achieve wide success. Today she is viewed as part of an instrumental group of performers who helped break down the barriers of racial prejudice in the opera world. This year Arroyo celebrates her 80th birthday and {…}
What do Renata Tebaldi, Puccini’s “La Bohème” and his “Manon Lescaut” have in common? They were all “born” on the same day – Feb. 1. The great soprano came into the world on Feb. 1, 1922 in Pesaro, Italy, the land of Rossini, but ironically not one of the featured composers in her repertoire. She did sing two of his {…}