Blog
- Best Recordings of La Traviata
La Traviata was, according to Operabase, the most performed opera worldwide in the 2015-2016 and 2013-2014 seasons. Why is it so popular? … - Best Recording of Die tote Stadt
There are certain operas that I adore that simply don’t have a common place in the repertory. Often times with these operas … - Best Recordings of La Forza del Destino
Last week I presented the best recordings of Le Nozze di Figaro. Mozart’s masterpiece is a perfect, flawless opera. For me, the natural … - Best Recordings of Le Nozze di Figaro
Le Nozze di Figaro is Mozart’s truly delightful comedic masterpiece. There’s something truly infectious about this opera from the beginning of that … - The Best Recordings of Tosca
Puccini’s “shabby little shocker” is considered by many opera aficionados to be one of the most superb combinations of musical brilliance and … - Homo, hetero, mezzo
Paris Opera, 2005. Annio lies next to Sesto as they sing a duet about their mutual affection. After the final notes, Annio … - Does nudity have a place in opera?
(Note: none of the videos in this article include full nudity, but they come close. Parental discretion advised.) The Metropolitan Opera was … - Halloween special: ghosts, witches and vampires
My neighbors’ lawns are full of fake cobwebs and inflatable giant pumpkins, so Halloween must be approaching. There are many ways to …
Biographies
- Aida Garifullina
Aida Garifullina was born in 1987 into a Tarar household. She enrolled in the … - Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti is one of those tenors who have become legends in their own … - Maria Callas
Maria Callas was one of the greatest opera singers of all time. She was …
Articles, Interviews & Memories
- An Artistic Home – Beniamino Gigli
The following is a chapter from Gigli: The Master Tenor, a new English-language biography of the great Italian tenor by the late Colin Bain. THE ARRIVAL OF Gigli in New York, … - Beniamino Gigli: The Record of Prejudice
During the controversial period in his career, in the years leading up to and immediately following World War II, Beniamino Gigli was, above all, the most international of Italian singers, … - Reflections on the greatness of Enrico Caruso
Enrico Caruso was a unique great tenor, without any doubt. I included him in my personal choice of the XX century “avant guard” group of great tenors. The group comprises the Italians Caruso,
Focus Feature
- Le Postillon de Lonjumeau
The history of opera is littered with shipwrecks which sail with great success when first launched only to sink into oblivion for one reason or another. Some are lost forever and some are re-floated only to sail out briefly before returning to dry-dock. It seems that ‘Le Postillon de Lonjumeau’ has become something of a pleasure boat which is only given the odd cruise in its home waters of France, kept afloat almost solely by its famous tenor aria of the same title. It is an aria full of verve, humour, melody requiring great vocal skill.
