Ex-wife of Andrew Lloyd Webber to Receive Star in Hollywood

Happy Duo: Sarah and Andrew

Soprano Sarah Brightman has performed with opera legends Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, as well as Andrea Bocelli. In June it was announced that she will be getting a rare honor: a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Curious about the opera singers that Ms. Brightman will share the same sidewalk with in California? After the jump, you can see them all and you're going to be surprised by how many appear on the list! Notably missing thus far is Renée Fleming. The British songstress first launched into fame with a 1978 hit "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper" with the group Hot Gossip. She went on to marry composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber which propelled her stage career like a rocket after appearing in several of his musicals. She has an estimated net worth of $60 million while her former husband is estimated to have $1.2 billion. Her Facebook page made the announcement: "Sarah to Be Honoured with a Star on the Iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame! Today, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that Sarah will be honoured with a star on the world-renowned Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles for her outstanding contributions in live theatre and live performance. Currently celebrating its 60th year, the Walk of Fame was created to "maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world." Watch the announcement on the official Hollywood Walk of Fame Facebook page: https://bit.ly/37GR230. More details about when Sarah's star will be unveiled along Hollywood's most majestic walkway will be revealed in the coming year!" In his tell-all book, the Broadway composer discussed his relationship with the Royal College of Music graduate: "'I suppose it was

Music Makers: Talking music drew the couple together

inevitable that I was going to have a serious affair at some point,' writes composer Andrew Lloyd Webber of his romance with singer Sarah Brightman in his book Unmasked. The candid new memoir hits stands on Tuesday, the same month as the theatrical legend’s 70th birthday. What made the affair complicated? They first met during Brightman’s audition for Cats in the early 1980s, a time when they were both married. Lloyd Webber also had two young children with his first wife (also named Sarah) of 12 years. '[The affair with Sarah Brightman] is one of the parts of my life that I have been dreading writing about the most,' Lloyd Webber writes. 'What you are reading is the umpteenth rewrite. That is the best I can say.' In the chapter titled 'Miss Sarah Brightman,' Lloyd Webber details how his famous musical Phantom of the Opera came into existence — a show that brought both Lloyd Webber, the composer, and Brightman, who starred as Christine Daaé, great success. With their professional relationship thriving, their personal

Peter Pears Longtime Collaborator Julian Bream Passes Away

Julian Bream (left) accompanies Peter Pears on the lute. The two performed in concert and recorded together.

"The British guitarist and lutenist Julian Bream has died peacefully at his home in rural Wiltshire. He was 87. From unassuming suburban London beginnings in which he learned jazz guitar with the help of his father, Bream rose to become one of the very finest modern exponents of the classical instrument. His talents attracted composers of the stature of Britten, Walton, Tippett, and Hans Werner Henze. Bream’s ardour for the playing of jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt started early and never died, but he decided in an instant that classical guitar would be his future on hearing a recording of the great Andrés Segovia in the later 1940s. After studies at the Royal College of Music (majoring in fact on piano) Bream swiftly gained recognition on his 

Baroque Jam: Bream and Pears rehearsing

chosen instrument. From early days, concert appearances were supplemented by BBC appearances and then by commercial recordings. Somehow he managed to integrate guitar-playing into his National Service, not least via army dance band appearances. Bream’s discovery of the lute and its repertoire in the early 1950s resulted in a lifelong devotion to the instrument, explored not just in solo repertoire but, for example, in his duo partnership with the tenor Peter Pears and via his own Julian Bream Consort. Among other significant collaborations were those with harpsichordist George Malcolm and fellow guitarist John Williams, both preserved for posterity on disc." Guitarist Julian Bream and tenor Peter Pears recorded several albums together including tracks with composer Benjamin Britten on piano. During his career, the world-famous instrumentalist also worked with The Golden Age Singers and soprano Victoria de los Angeles. His collaborations extended to other artists including three albums of duets with John Williams. Influenced by the stylings of Andrés Segovia and Francisco Tárrega, Bream went on to win four Grammy Awards recording for RCA, Decca, and EMI. "Bream was born in Battersea, London, England, but at the age of two moved with his family to Hampton in London, where he was brought up in a musical environment.Bream described his parents as both 'conventional suburban,' but in another way 'very unusual.' His father was a commercial artist, with an 'extraordinary talent for drawing'

Both artists worked often on Dowland and Bach

and a 'natural musician' according to Bream. Bream would lie under the piano in 'ecstasy' when his father played. His mother, of Scottish descent, was a very beautiful woman who was often, according to Bream, 'not always there' mentally and did not like music, but was a warm-hearted person. His grandmother owned a pub in Battersea, and Bream spent much time there during his youth. His father played jazz guitar and the young Bream was impressed by the playing of Django Reinhardt, he would later call his dog 'Django.' Bream began his lifelong association with the guitar by strumming along on his father's jazz guitar at an early age to dance music on the radio. He became frustrated with his lack of knowledge of jazz harmony,so read instruction books by Eddie Lang to teach himself. His father taught him the basics. The president of the Philharmonic Society of Guitarists, Dr Boris Perott, gave Bream further lessons, while his father became the society librarian, giving young Bream access to a large collection of rare music. On his 11th birthday, Bream was given a small gut-strung Spanish guitar by his father. He became something of a child prodigy, at 12 winning a junior exhibition award for his piano playing, enabling him to study piano and composition at the Royal College of Music. Aged 13, he made his debut guitar recital at Cheltenham on 17 February 1947; in 1951, he debuted at Wigmore Hall. Leaving the RCM in 1952, Bream was called up into the army for  national service. He was originally drafted into the Pay Corps, but managed to sign up for the Royal Artillery Band after six months. This required him to be stationed in Woolrich,

Duet: Pears and Bream reviewing a score

which allowed him to moonlight regularly in London with the guitar. After two years in the army, he took any musical jobs that came his way, including background music for radio plays and films. Commercial film, recording sessions and work for the BBC were important to Bream throughout the 1950s and the early 1960s. He played part of a recital at the Wigmore Hall on the lute in 1952, and later did much to bring music written for the instrument to light. 1960 saw the formation of the Julian Bream Consort, a period-instrument ensemble with Bream as lutenist. The consort led a great revival of interest in the music of the Elizabethan era. Bream pursued a busy career playing around the world. His first European tours took place in 1954 and 1955, followed (beginning in 1958) by extensive touring in the Far East, India, Australia, the Pacific Islands and many other parts of the world. Bream performed for the Peabody Mason Concert series in Boston, first solo, in 1959, and later with the US debut of his Consort. In addition to master classes given in North America, Bream conducted an international summer school in Wiltshire,England." See album covers of Julian Bream with Peter Pears and The Golden Age Singers after the jump.

[Source, Source] 

Melodiya Releases "Tosca" Recording With Milashkina and Atlantov

Finalmente: Milashkina & Atlantov onstage in Tosca.

"One of the most popular operas of the world repertoire, Tosca was finished in the last year of the 19th century. It was based on the French playwright Victorien Sardou’s drama written for Sarah Bernhardt. The premiere of the opera that took place in 1900 in Rome was not accepted with much enthusiasm, and only the performance at La Scala under Arturo Toscanini became a true triumph. The story of singer Floria Tosca and her beloved painter Mario Cavaradossi who fell victim to bloody despot Baron Scarpia on the background of the revolutionary events in Italy of the early 19th century is still able to move to the innermost of one’s heart as the heat of dramatic fervour is masterfully captured in the music. Numerous audio and video recordings of the opera featuring the world’s best singers and conductors were made in the previous century. This recording was realized by the USSR Bolshoi Theatre in 1974. The celebrated internationally recognized soloists of the opera company of the 1970s Tamara Milashkina, Vladimir Atlantov, Yuri Mazurok and others perform the opera in the original language under the prominent conductor Mark Ermler." [Source] International release date is July 15, 2015. Pre-order your copy by clicking here. More photos, and some excerpts from the recording, after the jump.

Uncovering Elena Obraztsova Treasures As 75 Years Is Celebrated

Operatic Tsaritsa: The legendary
 Elena Obraztsova

For over 50 years, Elena Obraztsova has been a fixture on the operatic scene. Her debut was at the Bolshoi Theater in a production of Boris Godunov in 1963 and as of last week the performer was still singing with plenty of full voice during a gala celebrating her 75th birthday with stars like Anna Netrebko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Maria Guleghina, José Cura, Julia Lezhneva, Hibla Gerzmava and Olga Peretyatko. In her native Mother Russia, Ms. Obraztsova recorded a trove of music for the label Melodiya over the years. The label was later acquired by EMI and many of the recordings never made it to the CD format barring the arias disc with Giuseppe Patanè that first appeared in Japan and eventually on Russian import. Thanks to the scrupulous work of Melodiya digitizing much of the mezzo-soprano's back catalog, these albums are now available in MP3 format and reveal a surprising depth for the song repertoire by this monumental artist. The majority of her recorded legacy features the works of Soviet neo-romantic composer Georgy Sviridov. Music recorded between 1977-1983, with the composer at the piano, shows how the opera singer placed her esteem of his work alongside Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff whose works she also laid down for posterity. Whether arias,

One of the prized solo recordings to 
make a commercial release worldwide.

romances, or folk songs, it is clear that Ms. Obraztsova was first and foremost a nationalist. The most surprising treat in the discography is a disc of Schumann lieder featuring the complete Frauenliebe und leben alongside excerpts from Liederkreis, 12 Gedichte, Myrthen, and 6 Gedichte von N. Lenau und Requiem. Her rendition of "Mondnacht" rivals that of German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Next to the contributions of fellow Russian stars Irina Arkhipova and Galina Vishnevskaya, the collection of music put forth by Elena Obraztsova is admirable. There are still albums of hers not available to the public, including a disc of Bach & Händel arias, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Vivaldi's Gloria, Cavalleria Rusticana with tenor Zurab Sotkilava, Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder, Brahm's Rhapsody for Alto, and a collection of Viennese operetta with conductor Algis Ziuraitis, but there are others still in print on various labels including Deutsche Grammophon (Un Ballo in Maschera, Aida, Alexander Nevsky, Werther, Samson et Dalila, Rigoletto), Sony (Adriana Lecouvreur), Decca (Cavalleria Rusticana, Andrea Chénier), EMI (Nabucco), as well as a slew of recordings on private labels and live performance documents. After the jump: Learn more about Elena Obraztsova, see all of the recordings currently available digitally, and watch the 75th birthday concert in its entirety.

Elena Obraztsova stands center stage as international opera stars pay hommage last week.

Decca Veteran Charged With Remastering Complete Callas Catalog

Maria Callas with Nanni Ricordi in 1958. She recorded
Cherubini's Medea at La Scala with Tullio Serafin for
Dischi Ricordi on Mercury label equipment flown in
from New York. Warner Classics now owns the rights.

When the compact disc revolution began to hit the classical music world in the early 1980s, many labels looked to their back catalogs for a treasure trove of riches. The process by which they went about reviving some of the great masters was a bit painstaking to say the least. First the old analog master tapes had to be located and transferred into a new digitally encoded master. "The digital process merely translates everything on the old tape - hiss, bumpy splices, bad balances and mixes, deterioration of tape oxide - onto a new tape. Sometimes the sound is beefed up with added reverberation, filtering of high and low frequencies (to eliminate hiss and rumble) and occasionally a touch of compression (ostensibly to protect your home system from the shock of dynamic extremes)....After the recording to be reprocessed has been designated, the balance engineer assigned to the project goes back to the original

The original British cover art has been faithfully reproduced.
For more information about the release, click here.

master tape to see what shape its in. First he determines what sort of equipment it was recorded on, so it can be played back on the same system (otherwise, hiss becomes intolerable). He then looks it over for oxide deterioration, for weak or sticky splice joints, and other signs of age and/or wear. It must be remembered that producers and engineers counted on certain flaws on the master tape - poor splices, extraneous noises such as subways or outside ground and air traffic, musicians coughing, even distortion - vanishing in the general swooshing of the vinyl on the turntable....If the splice is too sticky, the tapes has to be thoroughly cleaned. If the oxide has fallen off, another copy of the master must be raided to supply the affected area. If a

Maria Callas with EMI producer Walter Legge during a break recording Ponchielli's La Gioconda. Legge is one of the few people whom could try to produce on vinyl what the Callas voice sounded like in person. An engineer working on the project today, would be working with a ghostly memory of the soprano if they had heard her live at all.

splice is too crude (as occasionally happened), it has to be targeted for attention later in the process. Then the analog master is converted to digital. Any digital cleaning up of poor

Maria Callas Artwork Appears In Architect Abeijón-Fernández Work

All eyes on the room: Maria Callas watches over all at Cuatro Caminos

"El estudio Abeijón-Fernández Sociedad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, se fundó en el año 1996 con el objeto de desarrollar, desde el ejercicio libre de la profesión, algunos de los conceptos iniciados durante el aprendizaje académico. Desde este inicio, trabajamos en la elaboración de proyectos enmarcados en varios ámbitos de la Arquitectura. Elaboramos proyectos para obras de carácter público encargadas por administraciones y por entidades privadas. También desarrollamos una amplia labor en el ámbito de la vivienda; llevando a cabo obras de vivienda colectiva, tanto vivienda libre como vivienda protegida, y obras de vivienda unifamiliar. En particular, en la Arquitectura Residencial, entendemos como fundamental la profunda reflexión para la consecución de arquitecturas que permitan la mayor claridad funcional, buscando siempre las máximas prestaciones para el usuario final, sin descuidar la innegable importancia formal de los objetos construidos. Asimismo realizamos proyectos de Arquitectura interior, para espacios comerciales, administrativos y vivienda. En toda nuestra trayectoria trabajamos para conseguir un compromiso entre el creador y el observador, tratando de generar una complicidad visual y formal entre la obra, el lugar y las personas. Por último, cabe destacar el reconocimiento obtenido por parte de la sociedad, reflejado en la cantidad de publicaciones que han recogido nuestras obras, tanto en prensa diaria como en publicaciones internacionales." [Source] See the original use for the image that inspired the artwork, after the jump.

Kiri Te Kanawa Celebrates Over 50 Years Of Recording

"New Zealand soprano comes up with a staid celebration of 50 years in the recording studio. Te Kanawa's creamy lyric soprano was not made to evoke the malevolent sea monsters of Te Taniwha. Max Cryer's liner notes for Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's Waiata make an engaging read. He provides another succinct introduction to the thorny issue of "Maori song" (as he did for Te Kanawa's 1999 Maori Songs) followed by notes on individual tracks. This is a celebration of the soprano's half-century recording career, enlisting the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the University of Auckland Chamber Choir, in arrangements by Carl (Piano by Candlelight) Doy. In time for Christmas, Waiata is an unabashed stocking-stuffer, offering minimal rewards for those with a respect for the achievements of this singer. Beside it, her earlier Maori Songs CD, which occasioned a few giggles and squirms in its time, takes on classic status. It had stronger songs and Te Kanawa's voice was 14 years younger. Its ethnic trimmings of kapa haka groups (including Mahinarangi Tocker and George Henare) and a wash of taonga puoro now seem positively piquant. Waiata is a staid affair. Doy's arrangements have fleeting moments of inspiration, with a few impressive Mantovani string clusters, but tinkling piano and churning rhythmic ostinati try the patience, along with overlooked production glitches."[Source] In addition to the new release of Waiata by Sony (set globally for March 2014), other labels such as Warner Classics (featuring former EMI Classics material) and Decca (featuring former Philips Classics material) are reissuing box-sets of their own to commemorate the occasion. Check out the beautiful editions after the jump. 

Edda Moser Recorded Legacy Unearthed By EMI Classics

EMI Classics recently released a 9-CD compilation of many previously unavailable recordings of the German soprano Edda Moser. Following suit of other classical labels, the box-set (Edda Moser - Electrola-Recitals: Oper & Lied) will feature original LP artwork for each disc. A sampling of photos, as well as a review of the deluxe package contents, is after the jump. The item can be found on Amazon.com for an outrageously affordable price of $35.55. Order your copy by clicking here.

Joyce DiDonato Discusses Autumn Release For EMI

Watch a video of mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato discussing her upcoming release on EMI titled Drama Queens. Lots of footage from the recording sessions as well. Order the album by clicking here.

Julian Ovenden, Husband of Soprano Kate Royal, Makes Debut

Video: Paul Appleby Debuts in "The Juillard Sessions"

(Photo: Dario Acosta)

Watch a video from EMI Classics, featuring Paul Appleby in performance excerpts from the new "Juilliard Sessions," after the jump.

Natalie Dessay Sings the Chanson of Debussy for Virgin Classics

Dessay: La Belle Voix. Buy the album by clicking here.

"Im ihrem Liedrecital steht Natalie Dessay ein Pianist zur Seite, der sich mit einer Gesamtaufnahme der Debussy-Klaviermusik höchste Meriten erworben hat: Philippe Cassard, von dem die Idee zu der Produktion ausging. Er hörte Natalie Dessay in Debussys Oper Pelléas et Mélisande und war überzeugt, dass sie als einzige Sängerin dieses Repertoire nicht nur zu singen, sondern wirklich zu verkörpern versteht. "Ihr Charisma als Darstellerin, ihre Energie, ihr Temperament, ihre Virtuosität und ihr Sinn für Humor sorgen für eine wirklich außergewöhnliche Interpretation". Natalie Dessay leiht in diesen Werken einer gewissen Marie Vasnier ihre Stimme – die Frau eines Debussy-Gönners, in die der Komponist verliebt war, und für die er rund 40 Lieder komponierte. Das Recital Clair de lune bietet eine Reihe von Raritäten – so das bisher noch nie eingespielte Lied Les Elfes (eine von vier Ersteinspielungen) und die Kantate La Damoiselle Elue." [Source]

Juilliard Forges Partnership with EMI Classics for iTunes

More information after the jump.

First Time on CD: Janet Baker in Walton's "Troilus and Cressida"

Click the image to purchase the EMI Classics box set.

2005 "Batman Begins" Features "Mefistofele" in Opera Scene

The 2005 Christopher Nolan film Batman Begins features a scene with the young Bruce Wayne attending the opera with his parents (just before they are murdered...). The excerpt is "Folletto!...Folletto!" from Boito's Mefistofele and is performed by Norman Treigle, Ambrosian Opera Chorus and The London Symphony Orchestra under conductor Julius Rudel. You can buy the complete recording here. See a video clip of the scene by clicking on the above photo. [Source]

New Release Box-Sets: Elly Ameling and Kathleen Ferrier

Click on specific image to purchase the box-set.

Die Electrola Querschnitte (1960-1963) mit Fritz Wunderlich!

He was one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century. At age 35 he tragically lost his life. Fritz Wunderlich is still regarded as one of the most gifted opera singers ever immortalized in the studio. 50 years ago, Electrola (EMI Köln) recorded opera highlights in stereo of eight different operas sung in German by the tenor and some of the greatest artists on stage at the time including Pilar Lorengar, Hermann Prey, Anneliese Rothenberger, Gottlob Frick and Elisabeth Grümmer. Now remastered, these recorded treasures have been resurrected in this new seven-CD collector's edition box set. Some of the music sounds a bit strange in a language other than the original Italian or Russian, but the quality of the singing by all the artists is unmistakably superb. As a recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon, Fritz Wunderlich has a bulk of his back-catalog on that label so this EMI release is a real treasure. "We stood there in the studio and got there more and more carried away, as if we were on stage." (Pilar Lorengar in an interview with Thomas Voigt, 1991)

Listen to two excerpts (auf Deutsche) from Madama Butterfly with Pilar Lorengar, Hermann Prey and Fritz Wunderlich:




Complete track listing is after the jump.

Angela Gheorghiu May Be the Biggest Tease With New Video

The wait is almost over! EMI Classics keeps throwing video teasers out for Angela Gheorghiu's most recent CD release which is a tribute to Maria Callas. Read more about that here. Watch a glimpse of the video for "Ebben! Ne andrò lontana" from La Wally. The full video is "coming soon." Some video stills after the jump.

From the Vault: Pilar Lorengar Spanish Songs with Félix Lavilla

Released on Discos Columbia S.A. in 1973, this program of Spanish composers is exquisitely performed by soprano Pilar Lorengar and pianist Félix Lavilla. Some of this repertoire was recorded by Ms. Lorengar with pianist Alicia de Larrocha and with orchestra under conductor Jesus Lopez-Cobos for Decca Records. Perhaps that is why this LP has not been re-issued on CD or MP3. Thanks to Tenorisimo1975 on YouTube, you can hear all the tracks except one ("Cuando tan hermosa os miro" of Turina) in the playlist below. Columbia's back-catalog is owned by EMI, so perhaps one day someone will see fit to release these items as a tribute to a great singer.

Tres tonadillas (Granados)

El majo discreto; El mirar de la maja; El tra la lá y el punteado

Seis canciones castellanas (Guridi)

No quiero tus avellanas; Cómo quieres que adivine, Mañanita de San Juan

Homenaje a Lope de Vega (Turina)

Cuando tan hermosa os miro; Si con mis deseos

Cantares (Turina)

Asturiana (Nin)

Tríptico de canciones (García Leoz)

De Cádiz a Gibraltar; A la Flor, a la pitiflor; Por el aire van

Madre unos ojuelos VI (Toldrá)

Cantarcillo (Toldrá)

Cuatro madrigales amatorios (J. Rodrigo)

¿Con qué la lavaré?; Vos me matásteis; ¿De dónde venís, amore?; De los álamos vengo, madre

Rare Complete French Opera Recordings From Roberto Alagna

In what seems to be a collaboration between tenor Roberto Alagna and the Orchestre National de Montpellier, Deutsche Grammophon releases its second rare French opera recording featuring the two. The first release in 2009 was Massenet's Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame and this time around it is Lalo's Fiesque. The latter is taken from a 2006 concert performance and is finally seeing the light of day.

"Le jongleur de Notre-Dame is an opera in three acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Maurice Léna. It was first performed in Monte Carlo on February 18, 1902. It is based on the story of the same name by Anatole France, which was in turn based on a 13th-century medieval legend by Gautier de Coincy, c. 1220. The role of Jean the juggler was popularized in the United States by the famous soprano, Mary Garden, which, according to some sources, horrified composer Massenet, who meant the role for a tenor. Garden's undertaking of the role was in the tradition of actresses of that era playing Peter Pan. The opera was popular in the early part of the twentieth century, due partly to Mary Garden's appearances in it, but it soon disappeared from the world's stages, as did many of Massenet's other operas. In the mid-1970s, the complete opera was recorded in stereo for the first time, and this recording, with the late tenor Alain Vanzo as Jean and the late baritone Jules Bastin as Boniface, was released on compact disc most recently in 2003, closely followed by another CD containing a live performance of the work, again with Vanzo. This has subsequently led to new revivals of the opera in the United States, usually in more modern dress." [Source]

"Fiesque (The Genoese Conspiracy) is an opera by the French composer Édouard Lalo. The libretto, by Charles Beauquier, is based on Schiller's 1784 play, Die Verschwörung des Fiesco zu Genua, an account of the conspiracy in 1547 led by Fiesque against the ruling Doria family. It had its first staged performance at the Nationaltheater, Mannheim on 16 June 2007. The concert premiere was on July 27, 2006 at the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier with Roberto Alagna in the title role. The UK premiere took place on March 10, 2008 in a production by University College Opera." [Source]

If you can't get enough of Mr. Alagna, his former label EMI is putting out a 3-CD set of what they deem to be his best works from the back-catalog (well, most of the French works at least that make up most of the set). This compilation takes excerpts from albums of arias, duets and even full opera recordings dating back to 1996. A complete track list for Mes plus grands rôles à l'opéra is after the jump.

And if you're looking for something on the less operatic side, wait until DG releases Pasión in November 2001. The album will feature Cuban boleros and Argentinean tangos.