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American Coloratura Gianna D'Angelo Is Dead At Age 74

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"Gianna D'Angelo (18 November 1929, some sources say 1934- 27 December 2013), was an American coloratura soprano, primarily active in the 1950s and 1960s. Born Jane Angelovich in Hartford, Connecticut, she studied first at The Juilliard School in New York City with Giuseppe De Luca. In the early 1950s, she moved to Venice, Italy, where she became a pupil of Toti Dal Monte, who also advised her to italianize her name. She made her debut in 1954 at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome as Gilda in Rigoletto, a role she would remain closely associated with throughout her career. She was rapidly invited at all the major opera houses of Italy, Naples, Florence, Bologna, Trieste, Parma, Milan, etc. She also made appearances at the Paris Opéra and the Glyndebourne Festival as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia and at the Edinburgh Festival as Norina in Don Pasquale. She made her American debut at the Cosmopolitan Opera in San Francisco, in March 1959, in the title role
As Gilda, with Renato Capecchi, for
the recording of Rigoletto
of Lucia di Lammermoor (opposite Giuseppe Campora and Norman Treigle), and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, on April 5, 1961 as Gilda (with Robert Merrill as Rigoletto), and remained there for eight seasons, appearing in roles such as: Lucia, Amina, Rosina, Norina, Zerbinetta, the Queen of the Night. She also appeared in Philadelphia, Houston, New Orleans, etc. D'Angelo made few commercial recordings. The most notable was Musetta in La bohème with Renata Tebaldi, Carlo Bergonzi and Ettore Bastianini under Tullio Serafin, recorded in 1959 in Rome. Other recordings include Il barbiere di Siviglia and Rigoletto both with baritone Renato Capecchi, as well as


the doll Olympia in Les contes d'Hoffmann, opposite Nicolai Gedda. A live performance of I puritani from Trieste in 1966, has also been recently released on DVD. After retiring from singing, she became a voice teacher at the Jacobs School of Music, where she remained from 1970 until 1997. She died on December 27, 2013, at the age of 84, in Lawyers Glenn Asisted Living, in Mint Hill." [
Source] Videos after the jump of the soprano singing "A vos jeux, mes amis" (Hamlet by Thomas) and "Il dolce suono" (Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti).

Dame Malvina Major Returns To Pastures of Taranaki Region

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"Taranaki favourite Dame Malvina Major will take to the stage at the Bowl of Brooklands next year. Reporter Taryn Utiger spoke to the opera singer to see how life has been since she moved away from the province. Dame Malvina Major is a world-class opera singer but the former Coastal Taranaki dairy farmer misses seeing cows every day. After winning the New Zealand Mobil Song Quest in 1963 and studying in London, the Hamilton- born singer, her husband Winston Fleming and their young son Andrew settled on a farm at Pihama in Coastal Taranaki. Before the 70s finished the rising international star had two more children, Alethea and Lorraine, fell in love with life in Taranaki and declared herself content with being a farmer, wife and mother. Despite her contentment, overseas conductors asked for the gumboot-wearing diva when they came to tour New Zealand and by 1986 she was back on the international stage. It seemed, for a while, she could have her career, her family and her farm. That ideal was shattered four years later when tragedy struck the
In concert with fellow New Zealander Kiri Te Kanawa
family. In September 1990 her husband died suddenly at home. He had come back from the milking shed complaining about pains in his chest. Although she rushed to phone the doctor and get her husband into bed, he died right after telling her, 'I love you.' She left Taranaki soon after. Since then she has gone on to dominate the opera world, perform for kings and queens and amass a series of concerts many would envy. Next year she celebrates 60 years as one of the world's top opera singers and she is eagerly awaiting her concert at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands." [
Source]

Veronese Soprano Cecilia Gasdia To Get Recordings Reissued

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"La casa Teldec ripropone poi una ristampa, uscita proprio in questi ultimi giorni dell'anno, di alcune opere in cui appare come interprete il soprano veronese Cecilia Gasdia. È il caso dell'edizione del Faust di Gounod (Teldec 1993) che viene rieditata con la partecipazione di interpreti di fama internazionale: dal tenore Jerry Hadley, a Samuel Ramey, Alexandru Agache, Brigitte Fassbaender, Suzanne Mentzer e dalla direzione di Carlo Rizzi a capo della Welsh National Orchestra. Un giorno di regno di Verdi è invece un video live dal Teatro Regio di Parma del dicembre 1997, per la regia, scene e costumi di Pier Luigi Pizzi, riproposto dalla Hardy Classic, in cui Cecilia Gasdia è a fianco di altri noti cantanti, come Anna Caterina Antonacci, Paolo Coni, Alfonso Antoniozzi e Bruno Praticò nella direzione di Maurizio Benini. Al 1981 appartiene la felice edizione live della verdiana Luisa Miller, con una Cecilia Gasdia ancora fresca della sua strepitosa vittoria al Concorso Callas (1980). L'opera andò in scena al Teatro Fraschini di Pavia, con la direzione di Gianandrea Gavazzeni e i cantanti Nazzareno Antinori, Simone Alaimo, Carlo Desderi, con il Coro e l'Orchestra della Rai nella regia di Filippo Crivelli. L'opera viene ora proposta in Dvd dalla Hardy Classic. E infine di questi giorni anche l'uscita della Aida areniana del giugno 2012 (in versione Blue Ray 3D) con Hui He, Marco Berti, Andrea Ulbrich, Ambrogio Maestri, la direzione di Daniel Oren, per la Opus Arte." [Source]

Marilyn Horne Celebrates 80th Birthday With Song

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Marilyn Horne Song Celebration
Thursday, January 16, 2014 at 7:30 PM
Zankel Hall
"Marilyn Horne, founder and guiding voice of The Song Continues series, has long demonstrated a commitment to nurturing gifted young vocal talent. The legendary songstress is honored on her 80th birthday in a festive evening of songs performed by an all-star lineup of special guest artists."Performers
Samuel Ramey, Host
Frederica von Stade, Host
Barbara Cook, Vocalist
Renée Fleming, Soprano
Brenda Rae, Soprano
Jamie Barton, Mezzo-Soprano
Isabel Leonard, Mezzo-Soprano
David Daniels, Countertenor
Piotr Beczala, Tenor
Lester Lynch, Baritone
Martin Katz, Piano
Warren Jones, Piano
Lee Musiker, Piano
[Source]

Olga Peretyatko Sparkles At Silvestergala In Baden-Baden

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"Olga Peretyatko, in der Branche mit ihren Schubladen längst als Netrebko-Nachfolgerin gehandelt, lässt in der Rosenarie der Susanna ihr russisch-dunkles Stimmtimbre aufblühen, das auch schon andeutet, auf welche Reise diese Stimme gehen könnte. Im Augenblick sind’s noch die Koloraturen, mit denen sie reüssiert. Bei den beiden Mozart-Konzertarien gleichwohl überzeugt nicht alles. In 'Ah se in ciel', in der Mozart schon seine Königin der Nacht andeutet, kämpft sie mit den Höhen, und mitunter bekommt auch die Intonation leichte Blessuren. Die großen Koloraturarien der französischen Romantik dagegen sind für diese Stimme wie geschaffen. Sei es die Schwalbenarie aus Gounods Mireille oder die mit hinreißender Koketterie in Szene gesetzte Gavotte von Massenets Manon: Hier brilliert sie als Rossignol– als Nachtigall, silbern, kokett und handwerklich sauber in den Spitzentönen. Auch Roth und das animiert spielende Orchester stürzen sich mit Begeisterung ins Abenteuer Opéra comique: Ambroise Thomas’ herrliche Mignon - Ouvertüre gerät zu einem musikalischen Rausch der Klangfarben. Was ebenso für Gershwins transparent aufgeblätterte Kubanische Ouvertüre gilt. Bei dessen 'Rhapsody in Blue' zeigt Gabriela Montero noch einmal ihr hohes Maß an Eigenwilligkeit, wobei ihrem Anschlag hier oft eine Prise Nonchalance und Glanz fehlt, den sie dann in ihren Dialog mit Olga Peretyatko und dem Orchester bei Puccinis Operettennummer 'Chi il bel sogno' aus La rondine legt. Eine von drei Zugaben: Arditis Kuss-Walzer 'Il bacio', Paradestück für charmant-virtuose Sopranistinnen und eine Improvisation aus Bernsteins West Side Story gehören auch dazu. Das Thema gibt Konzertmeister Christian Ostertag vor, die Pianistin entführt es dann in den romantischen Salon und die Welt der Habanera. Ein klein wenig Jam-Session zum Jahresausklang und ein träumerisches Thema: 'There’s a place for us'– vielleicht ein Hoffnungsschimmer für das SWR-Sinfonieorchester?" [Source]

Pumeza Matshikiza Sings Traditional African Songs For Decca

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As previously announced, Decca's latest artist-signing was African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza. Her debut album, Voice of Hope, is set for release in March 2014. In the meantime, the label has released three traditional african songs in advance. Click here to sample and purchase the MP3 album.

For more information about the soprano, check out a video from the recording studio with the artist discussing the concept by clicking here

Edith Wiens Teaches After Leaving Opera Stage A Decade Ago

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The soprano today spreads
knowledge through teaching
"The world-renowned soprano has been feted in Berlin, Vienna, London and Buenos Aires. She can now add her hometown to that list. Wiens returned to the city this fall for the first time in 'quite a while' to receive her honorary doctor of letters from the University of Saskatchewan. 'It was just fabulous. It made me feel very patriotic,' Wiens said. Although she retired from performing 10 years ago and now teaches at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, Wiens sang at the TCU Place ceremony this fall. 'I love to teach, but there’s nothing like singing,' she said. Wiens has taken on some of the most challenging pieces by Mozart, Wagner, Brahms and others. For her work, she won a Grammy Award and was installed as an officer of the Order of Canada. Born in Saskatoon in 1950 to Mennonite parents, Wiens later attended bible college in Vancouver and earned a master’s degree in music at Ohio’s famed Oberlin College, the first U.S. post-secondary institution to regularly admit female and African-American students. Her singing career was launched after a first-place showing at a European competition in 1979. Over the next two decades,
Edith Wiens with conductor Kurt Masur in earlier days
she would perform with the top symphonies and opera companies in the world, including 14 appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Wiens, whose husband and two sons are acclaimed musicians, accepted a position in New York at the Juilliard School several years ago to teach others. Several of them have already achieved high honours at global competitions. Wiens is spending six weeks in at a Munich fine arts school, evaluating and hosting auditions for 120 applicants vying for the 15 spots. In 2014, she’s scheduled to teach “master classes” in Frankfurt, London and Zurich." [
Source]

Sumi Jo Counts Italy As Her Second Home For Over 30 Years

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In an interview with Il Tempo, Sumi Jo discusses her life-long love of Italy. After attending Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia she quickly ascended to performing Un Ballo in Maschera with Plácido Domingo and Herbert von Karajan. She discusses her love of Rome, advice from Maestro von Karajan, Koreans in Italy, music education in the country, and her favorite roles. Read the full interview here.

Let's Hear It For The Boys: New Kaufmann, Abdrazakov, Cencic

Anna Netrebko Will Sing At Sochi Olympic 2014 Ceremonies

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According to different sources, soprano Anna Netrebko will perform with a children's choir, symphony orchestra, and Valery Gergiev, for the closing ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia, on February 23. The ceremony is to take place at Fisht Stadium which will accommodate 40,000 spectators. There has been much press recently about the new Anti-Gay Laws in Russian and the response of international artists like Ms. Netrebko having to issue public statements about their political affiliations. The opera star has also inadvertently become part of the Falk Richters play Small Town Boy at Berlin's Maxim Gorki Theater. [Source, Source, Source]

MET Soprano Sharleen Joynt Receives First Rose On "The Bachelor"

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Basking in the Sun: TV contestant on America's most popular dating television show (Photo: Andrea Joynt) 
"It’s a long way from the Metropolitian Opera in New York and European opera houses to TV’s The Bachelor but Ottawa singer Sharleen Joynt has made the journey. The 29 year-old soprano is taking it all in stride after appearing in the premiere episode of the ABC-TV reality series Monday night and attracting the attention of Juan Pablo Galavis, the hunk who is this season’s single man. In the beginning of the season, 27 women are hoping to win the heart of the 32-year-old former soccer player and single dad originally from Venezuela. Joynt was one of 18 women handed a rose by Juan Pablo on Monday. But by most accounts the exchange was a little forced. 'I guess I thought I would feel more of this instant chemistry than I did. I guess I feel a little distraught,' she is reported to have said after laying eyes on Juan Pablo." [Source
Juan Pablo Galavis seems under the spell of soprano Sharleen Joynt (Photo: Rick Rowell/ABC)
"'Silvery'-voiced coloratura soprano Sharleen Joynt has been 'sparking audience enthusiasm' with her 'special and unexpected amber timbre', 'a vocal range that is second to none', her 'scintillating stage presence', and her 'love for taking risks'. Sharleen's 2013/14 Season includes rejoining the Metropolitan Opera roster to cover Fiakermilli in R. Strauss'
Arabella. She also appears with the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Theater und Orchester Heidelberg, Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland, and makes her France debut. For the 2012/13 Season Sharleen spent her second year as an ensemble member of the Theater und Orchester Heidelberg, performing Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and receiving critical acclaim for her 'stratospheric' Soprano 1/Ariadne in Wolfgang Rihm's Dionysos. She also made both a role and house debut with the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe as Marie in La Fille du Régiment. Her uncommonly honest embodiment of characters and fearless
onstage presence in German Regietheater led to a 3-page article in the May 2013 issue of Deutsche Bühne magazine. The 2011/12 Season included joining the Theater und Orchester Heidelberg ensemble for Frasquita in Carmen and her vastly critically acclaimed Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, the role for which she was nominated for Nachwunschsängerin (Young Singer of the Year) by Opernwelt magazine. She also debuted with the Winter in Schwetzingen Baroque Festival as Fausta in the German premiere of Scarlatti's Marco Attilio Regolo. Sharleen's 2010/11 Season included joining the Metropolitan Opera roster to cover the role of Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. She joined the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau ensemble, making her European debut as Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera, followed by Adele in Die Fledermaus, and Despina in Cosi Fan Tutte. She also returned to the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv to perform her first Zerbinetta under the baton of Metropolitan Opera conductor Paul Nadler. In 2009 Sharleen made her Carnegie Hall debut singing the soprano solo in Schubert's Mass in G. For the 2009/10 Season she was an Emerging Artist with Calgary Opera. She graduated from Mannes College of Music in New York in 2009 with her Masters degree in Vocal Performance. She has been a prizewinner in the Liederkranz Foundation Competition, the George London Foundation Competition, the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Licia-Albanese Foundation Competition, the Canadian Music Competition's International Stepping Stone, and the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition." [Source]

Did Anna Netrebko And Mercedes Bass Get A Contact High?

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Netrebko and Bass post-concert at
Le Poisson Rouge (Photo: Facebook)
"They say the old culture-world distinction between uptown and downtown New York has vanished, but on Wednesday evening at Le Poisson Rouge, the Greenwich Village basement club, it still felt like a meeting of two disparate domains. There was delicious incongruence between the sight of Mercedes Bass, the Metropolitan Opera’s elegantly coifed vice chairwoman, and the unmistakable scent of marijuana just a few feet away. Ms. Bass and cannabis had descended the stairs for the latest in a series of concerts presented by the Met in collaboration with the indie-hip, intimate Le Poisson Rouge. The program, 'Russian Exoticism and ‘Prince Igor,’' was offered as a kind of promotion for the Met’s new production of 'Igor,' the Borodin masterpiece, which opens Feb. 6." [Source]

When Joseph Calleja Met The Leader Of The Free World

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(Photo: White House)
"Joseph Calleja meeting US President Barack Obama after he performed at the Kennedy Centre Honors last month in tribute to American soprano Martina Arroyo. The tenor is currently appearing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York before moving on to London for a seven-performance run of Faust at the Royal Opera House and a solo concert at the Royal Festival Hall." [Source]

Kiri Te Kanawa Celebrates Over 50 Years Of Recording

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"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. 









Remembering Maestro Claudio Abbado And His Opera Stars

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Claudio Abbado backstage with Renata Scotto after I Capuleti e i Montecchi at Teatro alla Scala in 1967
Conductor Claudio Abbado passed away on Monday, January 20, 2014, at the age of 80. He left an immaculate legacy of live musical performances and countless recordings on a variety of labels. He conducted a great majority of opera throughout his career and subsequently had many friendships with singers from around the globe. Check out some spectacular photos of the Maestro with singers from the past 50 years, along with some biographical information, after the jump.

"Born on June 26, 1933, in Milan, Abbado began training under his father, Michelangelo Abbado, before entering Milan's Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory to study piano. After graduation in 1955, he continued piano classes with Austrian concertist Friedrich Gulda and began learning conducting from Antonio Votto, a specialist in Italian symphonic music. Over the next three years, Abbado pursued conducting with Hans Swarowsky, conductor of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. In class at the Vienna Academy of Music, Abbado sometimes sang in the Singverein choir under Herbert von Karajan, his mentor and role model. Abbado further refined his orchestral skills at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena under Alceo Galliera, conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and Carlo Zecchi, leader of the Czech Philharmonic. Abbado first took the baton at the Teatro Communale in Trieste, conducting Sergei Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges at the age of 25. For Abbado's early mastery of a wide repertory of classical and romantic music, he won the Mitropoulos Prize for conducting in 1963, shared with Pedro Calderon and Zdenek Kosler, both older and more experienced artists. At the time, critical opinion had not reached a firm consensus on Abbado, but critics soon acknowledged that he possessed the talent of another Arturo Toscanini. In 1965, von Karajan signaled formal acceptance among the music community by introducing Abbado at the Salzburg Easter Festival conducting Mahler's Second Symphony. Abbado valued the older musician's guidance and compared him to a sage, compassionate father. After twelve years at the Teatro alla Scala, Abbado made a significant career move by leaving his country in 1965 to lead the Vienna Philharmonic. The main attraction at an Abbado concert is leadership, a character trait he claims to have derived from Wilhelm Furtwangler, one of Germany's most beloved maestros....In the opera house...his repertory included Mozart and Wagner, but his specialties were Rossini and Verdi, whose music he performed with respect for the artistry they embody rather than the showmanship they allow, which he disliked. Like other opera conductors who came of age after World War II, he preferred to perform Verdi and other Italian Romantics in modern scholarly editions, in which opera house traditions like interpolated high notes were eliminated and material that had been cut was restored. In the mid-1970s, for example, he began to present the restored, five-hour version of Verdi’s Don Carlos. And his 1984 Pesaro Festival performance (and subsequent recording) of Rossini’s long-lost Il Viaggio a Reims helped find that work a place in the repertory....Abbado made his debut at La Scala in his hometown of Milan in 1960 and served as its music director from 1968 to 1986, conducting not only the traditional Italian repertoire but also presenting a contemporary opera each year, as well as a concert series devoted to the works of Alban Berg and Modest Mussorgsky. He was instrumental in increasing accessibility to the working-class. In 1982, he founded the Filarmonica della Scala for the performance of orchestral repertoire in concert. Abbado conducted the Vienna Philharmonic for the first time in 1965 in a concert at the Salzburg Festival and became its principal conductor in 1971. He served as music director and conductor for the Vienna State Opera from 1986 to 1991, with notable productions such as Mussorgsky's original Boris Godunov and his seldom-heard Khovanshchina, Franz Schubert's Fierrabras...In 1965, Abbado made his British debut with the Halle Orchestra, followed in 1966 by his London Symphony Orchestra debut. He continued to conduct on a regular basis with the London orchestra and from 1979 to 1988 he was its principal conductor. From 1982 to 1986 he was principal guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. With both orchestras, Abbado made recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, and Sony." [
Source, Source, Source]
With Agnes Baltsa and friend

With Bryn Terfel, Siegfried Jerusalem, Waltraud Meier, and Cheryl Studer, for a Wagner Gala

With Cheryl Studer in Berlin for New Year's Eve 1991

With Renée Fleming recording Mahler's Symphony #4

With Jan-Hendrik Rootering, Andrea Rost, Rosemarie Lang, Anne Sofie von Otter, Bryn Terfel, Sylvia McNair, Cheryl Studer, and Peter Seiffert, performing Mahler Symphony #8
With Agnes Baltsa and Jose Carreras rehearsing Carmen at La Scala in 1984

With Renée Fleming and Violetta Urmana

With Anna Netrebko recording her album Sempre Libera for Deutsche Grammophon

With Claudio Desderi, Lucia Valentini Terrani, Laura Zannini and Dalmacio Gonzales after L'italiana in Algeri at La Scala 1983


With Frederica von Stade after La Cenerentola at La Scala in 1976

With Janis Martin rehearsing Erwartung at La Scala in 1980

Performing Mozart's Requiem with Karita Mattila, Sara Lingardo, Michael Schade, and Bryn Terfel

With Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, and Renée Fleming, performing Richard Strauss for New Year's Eve 1992

With Frederica von Stade and the Filarmonica della Scala in 1986

With Lucia Valentini Terrani and Katia Ricciarelli in 1973

Recording rare Verdi arias with Luciano Pavarotti

In concert with mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená

With Giorgio Strehler, Mirella Freni, Piero Cappuccilli after Simon Boccanegra at La Scala in 1971

With Mirella Freni and Teresa Berganza after Le nozze di Figaro at La Scala in 1974

With Renata Scotto rehearsing Lucia di Lammermoor at La Scala in 1967

With Shirley Verrett after Macbeth at La Scala in 1975

With Shirley Verrett and Plácido Domingo in 1970

Rehearsing with Anna Caterina Antonacci

Backstage with soprano Lisa Larsson

With Montserrat Caballé and Lucia Valentini Terrani performing Verdi's Messa da Requiem in 1985

Performing in Lucerne with Renée Fleming

With Piero Faggioni and Shirley Verret rehearsing Carmen at La Scala in 1984

With Elena Obraztsova, Luciano Pavarotti, Nicolaj Ghiaurov and Mirella Freni during rehearsals for Verdi's Messa da Requiem at La Scala in 1978

With Anna Caterina Antonacci after a recital

With Giulietta Simionato, Lorenzo Arruga, Plácido Domingo, and Fedele D’amico, in June 1972 for the Congresso Internazionale di Studi Verdiani

Opera World Filled With Perverts According To Russian Official

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Politician and mezzo-soprano fights for gay rights
"Opera diva Maria Maksakova, an MP for the ruling United Russia party, says the controversial ban on propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors, dubbed the 'anti-gay' law in the West, must be revised as it damages the investment climate...Maksakova specifically drew attention to the negative impact of this initiative on Russian artists working in the West, who are now facing 'discrimination' because of the so-called 'anti-gay' law. A mezzo soprano soloist with St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theater, she said her colleagues 'are being kicked out from plays and orchestras' in Europe...Meanwhile, the author of the law, St Petersburg municipal deputy Vitaly Milonov hit back saying he is 'totally opposed' to the singer’s proposal. In his words, Maksakova is an artistic person coming from the world where 'perverts' are not uncommon." [Source]

Éva Marton International Singing Competition Accepting Applications

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Click here to start filling out the application. Grand-prize winner will walk away with 15,000€. Start brushing up on your Liszt, it's part of the audition requirements. Good luck!

Diana Damrau Live At Le Poisson Rouge March 27 In NYC

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Following on the heels of a night of Russian exoticism featuring Anna Netrebko, soprano Diana Damrau will perform at Le Poisson Rouge on March 24, 2014 at 7:30 PM. No word on whether the theme will be Bavarian. Purchase tickets by clicking here. During March, the coloratura is in town singing La Sonnambula at the Metropolitan Opera and a concert at Carnegie Hall with Zubin Mehta. The little New York City village hot spot Le Poisson Rouge is becoming a regular hangout for stars of the MET. In addition to the most recent concert that also featured Ildar Abdrazakov and Anita Rachvelishvili, past performers have included Iestyn Davies, Joseph Kaiser, Kathleen Kim, and Patricia Racette. To learn more about Diana Damrau, visit her website by clicking here.

Anna Netrebko's New York Apartment Has Plenty To Love

Moroccan-born Rapper French Montana Is Not A Fan Of Opera

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"Not everyone's stoked about the opera singer who's booked to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl ... especially rapper French Montana who tells TMZ Sports, 'F**k that sh*t.' People have been divided about the decision to have renowned soprano Renee Flemming [sic] belt out the anthem before the big game on Feb 2 ... and Montana says he understands it's important to try something different. But at the end of the day, French says he's entitled to own opinion ... and his opinion is that opera music SUCKS." [Source] Watch the video of the rapper by clicking here. This all seems so ironic considering he and Maria Callas share the same taste in fur coats.
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