Lawrence Edelson talks with composer Jeremy Howard Beck (Photo: Steven Meyer) |
Friday, May 31, 2013
American Lyric Theater Founder Lawrence Edelson Interviewed
Former Home Of Jess Thomas Hosts Golden Gate Opera
The late tenor Jess Thomas seen here in Wagner's Lohengrin. |
Eglise Gutiérrez And Angela Mortellaro Share Thaïs Role At FGO
Susan Janis: FGO General Director & CEO (Photo: Nick Garcia) |
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Susan Graham Receives Prestigious Maria Callas Award in Dallas
The winning mezzo-soprano striking a very Maria Callas-esque pose. |
1890 North Dakota Opera House On Sale For $1.2 Million
"The historic Metropolitan Opera House in downtown Grand Forks might soon have a new owner. The Grand Forks Herald reports that building owner Oriental Avenue LLP is negotiating a sale to Rhombus House of Pizza, the company behind Rhombus Guys pizzerias in Grand Forks, Fargo, and Mentor, Minn. It's not known why the company is interested in the building. The opera house was built in 1890 and is on the National Register of Historic places. It was severely damaged in the 1997 Red River flood and under threat of being demolished before Oriental Avenue bought it and completed renovations. It has 21 apartments on its upper two levels but the 5,000-square-foot first floor has remained vacant. County records show that the building and lot are valued at $1.2 million." [Source] Read more about the history of the opera house here and some information about the current opera lofts here.
Cairo Opera House Protest Causes Cancelled Aida Performance
"Disgruntled artists staged a protest on Tuesday outside the Cairo Opera House in Zamalek, condemning the culture minister's decision earlier in the day to sack head of the opera house, Ines Abdel-Dayem. With car-drivers honking in support, the artists chanted against the ministerial decision, as well as against the minister himself. Alaa Abdel-Aziz was appointed culture minister earlier this month as part of the cabinet reshuffle, and artists responded with concerns about the Brotherhood-affiliated minister. Later in the evening, the audience in the Main Hall of the Cairo Opera House, expecting to watch Verdi's Aida on its closing night, were taken by surprise when the curtains opened to reveal not a performance, but a protest. The
Katherine Jenkins Dropped By Warner Music Entertainment
Welsh "opera singer" and millionairess Katherine Jenkins will be left to count her money. |
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Anna Netrebko Dances Her Ass Off Watching Adam Lambert
Anna Netrebko attended the Life Ball in Vienna on May 25, 2013, draped in €7 million worth of Chopard jewels. The highlight of her evening, however, may have been the Adam Lambert performance. Watch a brief clip of the opera singer dancing to the pop star's song "Love Wins Over Glamour" by clicking here. |
Angela Gheorghiu Sings Romanian National Anthem In Celebration
Romania celebrates a Guiness Book of World Records victory as it drapes the largest flag out over Clinceni Airfield just south of Bucharest. Read the story here and check out two more photos of the soprano after the jump. |
Monday, May 27, 2013
Erwin Schrott Entertains With Lifetango At Life Ball In Vienna
The star baritone sings at the Life Ball 2013 in Vienna. Other guests included Adam Lambert, Roberto Cavalli, Hilary Swank, Barbara Eden, Greg Louganis, Azealia Banks, Fergie, and Bill Clinton. Find more information and photos click here (Photo: Facebook). |
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Mario Andretti Takes Puccini For A Spin Around The Track
Watch as racing legend Mario Andretti promotes two perspectives, driver and passenger, as he tops out high speeds with "O Mio Babbino Caro" as the soundtrack.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
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.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Harolyn Blackwell To Be Part of Kennedy Center Honors Committee
"Under the revised process, the Kennedy Center will begin seeking recommendations from the public for the first time in the award's 35-year history. Recommendations can be submitted online beginning Thursday. The center will also seek more recommendations from a committee of artists. To narrow the roster of potential honorees, the center is forming a new Special Honors Committee. Former honorees Chita Rivera and Yo-Yo Ma will serve on the panel, along with opera singer Harolyn Blackwell, dancer Damian Woetzel and two center board members, Elaine Wynn and Cappy McGarr. From there, the Kennedy Center chairman, president and award producers will create slates of potential honorees to balance the selections across artistic disciplines, and the executive committee of the center's board of trustees will make the final decision." [Source]
Sunday, May 19, 2013
The Art of Christiane Eda-Pierre Finally Gets Its Day on Decca
Nearly 2 years ago, a post was developed in the "From the Vault" series on Opera Fresh complaining about the lack of releases from soprano Christiane Eda-Pierre's discography. Well, at long last the public will be able to savor this wonderful artist's catalog drawn from Philips Classics recordings that will be issued now on the Decca label for a launch date of May 27, 2013. Pre-order by clicking here.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Renée Fleming in Conversation with Leon Botstein and André Previn
Last night was the finale of Renée Fleming's Perspectives series at Carnegie Hall called "Vienna: Window to Modernity," a thoughtful tribute to the time and place where the European musical tradition, under the influence of literary and visual arts, gave way to the 20th century. Here, Ms. Fleming, composer and conductor André Previn, and conductor and music historian Leon Botstein discuss how several of the major Viennese composers of the period—Korngold, Schoenberg, and Zeisl—spent a lot of time in Los Angeles and how their experiences there differed widely. More information about Renée Fleming's Perspectives at Carnegie Hall is available: http://www.carnegiehall.org/fleming/ and http://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2013/5/4/0730/PM/Vienna-Window-to-Modernity/. Watch the video clip, along with two previous others, after the jump.
First Public Performance of Anna Netrebko Singing Lady Macbeth
As part of the opening night gala for the new Mariinsky Theatre in St.
Petersburg, soprano Anna Netrebko sang selections from Macbeth (Verdi),
Don Giovanni (Mozart), and Iolanta (Tchaikovsky), extraordinarily
back-to-back. Many more pictures, and a video of the entire gala, are after the jump.
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