Renata Tebaldi Celebrated By Dolce&Gabbana Windows In Milan

"From 1st to 15th December the windows of the Via della Spiga 2 boutique are transformed into an elegant proscenium, paying homage to the great Italian soprano Renata Tebaldi, opera singer among the most popular and famous of all time for her unforgettable performances of Verdi and Puccini operas. The exhibit showcases some of the wonderful costumes the artist has worn in her long and acclaimed career, and kindly provided by the Renata Tebaldi Museum, images of the actress on the stage or in real life moments, and also original elements from the sets of historical works carried out at Teatro alla Scala. Objects, furniture and magnificent costumes, including the long turquoise dress of Aida and the velvet one of Tosca, give you the opportunity to relive the beauty and charm of the wonderful works of Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini. A blend of art, elegance and refinement on the occasion of the Premiere of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan." [Source] See more photos after the jump.

Opera Connection To TIME Magazine Covers From 1942-1970

Portrait of Renata Tebaldi by Boris Chaliapin

Started in 1923, Time went on to have the world's largest circulation for a weekly news magazine with a readership of 25 million. Covers of the magazine featured politicians, business executives, religious figures, as well as artists from various genres including ballet, film, art, and music. Within the music category, it was opera singers, composers, instrumentalists, and conductors that were proudly splashed on the cover of the successful magazine. This coverage leant itself to widening the audience of the arts outside of the concert hall and opera houses. It may be surprising to know that the artwork for many of those covers was created by painter Boris Chaliapin, son of the famed Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin and brother to hollywood actor Feodor Chaliapin Jr. (know to many for his role in the operatically-based film Moonstruck). "Boris Chaliapin was the portrait artist Time magazine’s editors turned to first when they needed a cover in a hurry. As Time’s most prolific artist, he created 413 covers for the publication during his 28-year career, between 1942 and 1970. He could execute excellent likenesses in as little as 12 hours. Week after week, millions of faithful readers recognized Chaliapin’s familiar signature on the cover, and his co-workers nicknamed him 'Mr. Time.'" The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., ran an exhibition last year featuring 26 of the 300 works by Chaliapin. Browse the various works of art by clicking here. [Source, Source] Purchase past Time magazine covers here. After the jump: a curious comparison with one of Chaliapin's portraits; more biographical information about Boris Chaliapin; view all Time covers by various artists and photographers that were related to opera including such opera divas as Geraldine Farrar, Nellie Melba, Maria Jeritza, Lucrezia Bori, Mary Garden, Rosa Ponselle, Lily Pons, Kirsten Flagstad, Lotte Lehmann, Helen Traubel, Marian Anderson, Patrice Munsel, Maria Callas, Leontyne Price, and Beverly Sills. More music artist portraits by Boris Chaliapin:

George London	Gian Carlo Menotti
Alan Jay Lerner and Frederik Loewe	Fritz Reiner

Arturo Toscanini

Last-Minute Holiday Shopping Ideas From Heavenly Voices On High

Purchase the album here.
Recommended track: "Do You Hear What I Hear?"

If you want to turn the frequency up this holiday season, check out the plethora of recordings from divas both past and present. From the latest release by Measha Brueggergosman to the Germanic overtones of Rita Streich, Maria Stader, and Anneliese Rothenberger, high notes during the holidays will ensure everyone has a holly jolly time. Check out more than 30 albums after the jump to give you instant holiday spirit through sacred seasonal music or christmas classics. Each one is linked to the full digital version to allow you to either choose the entire package or simply download the tracks you enjoy most. You can even make a compilation off the recommended tracks from each selection. Joyeux Noël, Buon Natale, Frohe Weihnachten, Feliz Navidad and с рождеством! Remember to share the music with someone you love this holiday season.

Renata Tebaldi Museum Open In Villa Pallavicino Stables

"After the great singer died in San Marino in 2004, her long-time factotum, Ernestina Viganò, destined her legacy to the Renata Tebaldi Committee (soon to become a Foundation) and its president, Giovanna Colombo, to perpetuate the artistic and personal life of this 'angel voice'. After setting aside the idea of creating a 'Castle for the Queen' inside the Torrechiara Castle in Langhirano, and thanks to the interest shown by Riccardo Muti – who was always fond of Tebaldi – the Municipality of Busseto gave the Committee permission to use Villa Pallavicino’s Stables. Musicologist Giovanni Gavazzeni – grandson of the unforgettable Gianandrea Gavazzeni, who was alongside Tebaldi when she came back to La Scala to perform in Tosca, interrupting her American exile – has been entrusted with coordinating the Committee’s activities and curating the museum, in order to best display its treasures. He has created, for example, a whole room dedicated to Madame Butterfly – a role Tebaldi performed in Barcelona in 1958, in her return to the stage after her mother’s passing. 'The word ‘museum’ can be quite terrifying,' Gavezzeni says. 'But I want visitors to feel like the Tebaldi Museum is alive.'" [Source] Learn more about the museum here.

Callas And Tebaldi Still Rivals Thanks To Their Record Labels

In the 1950s, two sopranos reigned supreme at the premiere opera houses of the world: Renata Tebaldi and Maria Callas. There was overlapping repertoire between the artists and both sang in many of the same venues. Was there a real rivalry between these ladies or was it all salaciousness spurred on by the media? "Though many of the stock obituaries of Tebaldi characterized her rivalry with Callas as trumped up by the press, there was, in fact, much truth behind it - and it says much about who Tebaldi was and what she represented. Problems started in 1950, according to Robert Levine's clearheaded book Maria Callas: A Musical Biography (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers), when the two were alternating performances of La Traviata in Rio de Janeiro. At a gala concert, they sang their scheduled arias, and despite a no-encores agreement, Tebaldi sang two. When the two appeared at social occasions, it got ugly. Later, management favored Tebaldi over Callas, and the latter was fired - no doubt traumatized. After the two became more established, Callas was quoted as saying, 'If the time comes when my dear friend Renata Tebaldi sings Norma or Lucia one night, then Violetta, La Gioconda or Medea the next - then and only then will we be rivals. Otherwise, it is like comparing champagne with cognac. No, with Coca-Cola.'" [Source] Fans became divided and the general

Diva Love: Tebaldi (left) and Callas in 1968

sentiment for hearing Verdi's La Forza del Destino at the time was: If you want to hear Leonora sung beautifully listen to Tebaldi, if you want to know the fate of Leonora listen to Callas. Whatever the real story, the true details are taken to the beyond since both have long since passed on. During their careers, the media scandals did serve to bring the two singers much more attention in the public eye. That legacy lives on. As previously announced, Warner Classics will release the complete discography of Maria Callas with a new remastering of the original tapes. Decca Classics will match that by offering a limited edition 66-disc box set of the complete Renata Tebaldi recordings for the label. The international release date is October 31, 2014. Order your copy now by clicking here. See a few more pictures of La Tebaldi after the jump.

"No Reservations" Features Plenty of Opera in the Kitchen

Looking back to the 2007 film, No Reservations featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart and Abigail Breslin, there is enough opera interspersed throughout that it could be a fourth character. Original scoring for the film was done by Philip Glass. The film itself is no Academy Award-winning film, but it is a charming romantic story from director Scott Hicks (Snow Falling on Cedars, Shine and Hearts in Atlantis).

Some of the clips included in the film:

"Celeste Aida" Aida (Luciano Pavarotti)

"O mio babbino caro" Gianni Schicchi (Renata Tebaldi)

"Libiamo, libiamo" La Traviata (Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland)

"La donna é mobile" Rigoletto (Joseph Calleja)

"Un bel dì vedremo" Madama Butterfly (Renata Tebaldi)

"Cielo e mar" La Gioconda (Luciano Pavarotti)

"Nessun dorma" Turandot (Luciano Pavarotti)

A full synopsis of No Reservations is after the jump.

Happy Birthday: Renata Tebaldi

"O leggiadri occhi belli"

Renata Ersilia Clotilde Tebaldi was born on February 1, 1922 in Pesaro, Italy. Her parents were cellist Teobaldo Tebaldi and singer turned nurse Giuseppina Barbieri. After her parents separated, she moved with her mother to Langhirano in the Province of Parma to grow up. It was the verismo repertoire as well as lyric and dramatic roles that made up most of her career. She was one of the most beloved lirico-spinto sopranos of the post-war period.

FACTOIDS:

- Stricken with polio at age 3

- Member of the church choir at Langhirano

- Started piano at age thirteen and dreamed of a career as concert pianist

- Studied with Italo Brancucci, Ettore Campogalliani, Carmen Melis and Giuseppe Pais

- Her first public performance was singing "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" from Catalani's La Wally at the theatre in Urbino