Take A Tour Of Spain Based On Birthplaces Of Great Sopranos

Deciding where to travel in a foreign country can become a daunting task with all the landscapes, museums, architecture, restaurants, and concert halls. It seems natural to put an operatic twist on the itinerary when looking for adventure. Why not let the birthplaces of famous sopranos (and some mezzo-sopranos) dictate the destination? Let's start in the country of Spain. With all the flamenco dancing, bullfights, and beaches, this culture is muy caliente! "Spain has an extraordinary artistic heritage. The dominant figures of the Golden Age were the Toledo-based artists El Greco and Diego Velázquez. Francisco de Goya emerged in the 18th century as Spain's most prolific painter and he produced some wonderfully unflattering portraits of royalty. The art world in the early 20th century was influenced by a remarkable group of Spanish artists: Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí, ambassadors of the artistic culture in Spain. Spain's architecture ranges from prehistoric monuments in Minorca in the Balearic Islands, to the Roman ruins of Merida and Tarragona, the decorative Lonja in Seville, Mudéjar buildings, Gothic cathedrals, castles, fantastic modernist monuments and Gaudí's intricate fabulist sculptures in Barcelona. They are all representative of the culture of Spain. Another example of culture in Spain is the invention of the Spanish guitar, which was invented in Andalusia in the 1790's when a sixth string was added to the Moorish lute. It gained its modern shape in the 1870's. Spanish musicians have taken the humble guitar to dizzying heights of virtuosity and none more so than Andrés Segovia (1893-1997), who established classical guitar as a genre. Flamenco, music rooted in the cante jondo (deep song) of the gitanos (gypsies) of Andalusia, is experiencing a revival. Paco de Lucia is the best known flamenco guitarist internationally. His friend Camarón de la Isla was, until his death in 1992, the leading light of contemporary cante jondo. In the 1980s flamenco-rock fusion (a.k.a. 'gypsy rock') was developed by the likes of Pata Negra and Ketama, and in the 1990s Radio Tarifa emerged with a mesmerizing mix of flamenco and medieval sounds. Bakalao, the Spanish contribution to the world of techno, emerged from Valencia." [Source] So why not add opera to the highest cultural contributions in Spain? Time to see the country as the famous opera singers would have experienced it while growing up. The tour begins after the jump.

Teresa Berganza Shows Flexibility In More Than Vocal Cords

The 78-year old singer, photographed by José Luis Nocito in Santander, Spain, on August 14, 2013, doing yoga.

Read more about Teresa Berganza, and hear an audio clip of Offenbach's "Barcarolle" with soprano/daughter Cecilia Lavilla Berganza, after the jump. [Source]

Buried (MP3) Treasure: Teresa Berganza

As record labels explore the cost effectiveness of the MP3 format, many are digging deep into their archives to find recorded material to re-issue from previous CD incarnations or in some cases for the first time since their original LP release. Click on the Amazon widget to hear MP3 audio samples.

Happy Birthday: Teresa Berganza

Mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza was born on March 16, 1935, in Madrid, Spain. She studied piano and voice at the Madrid Conservatory, where she was awarded first prize for singing in 1954. She made her concert debut in Madrid in 1955. Berganza made her operatic debut as Dorabella in Così fan tutte in 1957 at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. That same year, she made her Teatro alla Scala debut and the following year her debut at Glyndebourne. In 1959, Berganza made her first appearances at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, which became one of her signature roles. In 1967, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro. As a recitalist, Berganza made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1964. Her concert repertoire includes Spanish, French, German, and Russian songs. From 1957 to 1977 Berganza was married to the composer and pianist Félix Lavilla, with whom she recorded and performed regularly and with whom she has three children, including soprano Cecilia Lavilla Berganza. Berganza shared the 1991 Prince of Asturias Award for arts and letters with six other Spanish singers. In 1992, Berganza participated in the opening ceremonies of Expo '92 in Seville and the opening ceremonies of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. In 1994, she became the first woman elected to the Spanish Royal Academy of Arts. She currently teaches singing at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, continues to perform music of Spanish composers, and gives master classes all over the world. [Source]

"Longe mala umbrae terrores" RV 629 (Vivaldi)
7 canciones populares Españolas (de Falla)
"Conservati fedele" K23 (Mozart)
"Bramo di trionfar" Alcina (Händel)
"Nacqui all'affanno..Non più mesta" La Cenerentola (Rossini)
"Habanera" Carmen (Bizet)
"Con amores la mi madre" (Obradors)
"L´indifférent" Shéhérazade (Ravel)
"O del mio dolce ardor" Paride et Elena (Gluck)

Be sure to check out the gallery of recordings with original cover art after the jump.

Plácido Domingo: Birthday Gala For A Titan

Domingo with Queen Sofía and musical guests Conlon, Berganza, Terfel,  Arteta and Martínez 

A gala blowout beyond compare took place at the Teatro Real for tenor Plácido Domingo's 70th birthday. The program, performers and guest list are after the jump.

Le Fils De Cadix: Ismael Jordi

In 1973 tenor Ismael Jordi was born in Jerez de la Frontera, a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southwestern Spain situated midway between the sea and the mountains. His great-grandmother was the only one with musical abilities in his family. He was a semi-professional soccer player, but was always interested in singing. He took voice lessons with Argentinian tenor Daniel Munoz.

He attended Madrid's Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía starting in 1998. He studied voice with Alfredo Kraus for two years. He went on to take lessons with Suso Mariategui, Edelmiro Arnaltes, Teresa Berganza and Manuel Cid. He currently studies voice with Angelo Capobianco in Verona.