On Dec. 31 Diana Damrau will make her role debut as Juliette in Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” in a special New Year’s Eve gala at the Metropolitan Opera. The occasion will also mark the premiere of Bartlett Sher’s acclaimed staging from the Salzburg Festival. With such a momentous occasion Operawire takes a look at past Juliettes who have graced the {…}
Johannes Martin Kränzle may not have the world-renown name of many major singers, but he certainly has the experience and recordings to illustrate his strength as an artist. The baritone has a varied selection from which listeners can choose from, ranging from high profile video recordings to more intimate listening experiences. Here are some of his vital albums. 1. Alberich {…}
Francesco Tamagno, born on December 28 in 1850, had a tremendously successful career throughout Europe and America. But his single biggest moment, the one for which he is remembered, is for premiering Verdi’s “Otello” in 1887. The tenor was also one of the first ever to record his voice and those immortal renditions are a major link to the great {…}
For many, 2016 was a tough year for many reasons. There were many lost political battles, violence exploded around the world and many beloved artists and celebrities saw their lives come to an end. The opera world was particularly devastated in 2016 with the loss of many major stars, some of them rather young. The following is a list of {…}
On Dec. 27, 1888, Raffaele Attilo Amedeo Schipa, better known as Tito Schipa, came into the world. Over the span of his 77 years, he would give the world glorious music in many forms. He was of course best known as a tenore di grazia, though he managed a number of Verdi and Puccini operas while conquering Italian roles by {…}
December 26 marks the premiere of three major operas of the Bel canto repertoire. Donizetti’s “Anna Bolena” premiered the day after Christmas in 1830 while his “Lucrezia Borgia” premiered in 1833 of that same date. Meanwhile, Bellini’s “Norma” premiered on the 26th of December in 1831. All three works share similarities in that they are some of the most difficult works {…}
Today Edita Gruberova is celebrating her 70th birthday and 50 years on stage. Considered one of the greatest sopranos in the history of opera, the legendary singer continues a hectic schedule singing across Europe. As we celebrate the icon’s amazing work, Operawire takes a look back at five roles that Gruberova has made her own. Queen of the Night in {…}
The holidays are upon us and most will be together to celebrate them. There will a lot of downtime and this will give families a chance to catch up on movies or simply relax and listen to some great music. For families interested in enjoying an opera together, the following is a list of works that family and holiday friendly {…}
Thursday December 22 is the 158th birthday of one of the greatest opera composers of all time – Giacomo Puccini. The Italian composer is best known for his brilliant melodic invention and his operatic output, while relatively small when compared with the likes of Italian predecessors such as Verdi, Rossini or Donizetti, is among the most popular in the entire {…}
