What better to celebrate La Grande Signora Leontyne Price’s 91st birthday than with my review of her 1962 recording of Puccini’s Tosca with Herbert von Karajan in charge as the conductor and also starring Giuseppe di Stefano as Cavaradossi, Giuseppe Taddei as Scarpia, Fernando Corena as the Sacristan, Carlo Cava as Angelotti, and Piero de Palma as Spoletta. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Giacomo Puccini
Mein allerliebster und allmächtiger Herr Daniel Johansson has struck again as a passionate, virile, and handsome Mario Cavaradossi in Calixto Bieito’s haunting production of Tosca, which went on with no break whatsoever. He was joined by a rising full lyric soprano, Nina Gravrok, and a veteran dramatic baritone, Ole Jorgen Kristiansen. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
‘Tis time to bid my beloved Stockholm until the next time with this fabulous production of Tosca at the Kungliga Operan, starring a lirico-spinto soprano who has been known for her extraordinarily wide-ranging repertoire, a dramatic tenor who mostly has a penchant for the Germanic repertoire, and a tall, dark, and handsome dramatic baritone. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
How did these two pairs of Italianate singers, the delicately charming lyric tenor Francesco Demuro as Rodolfo and the gorgeously alluring lyric soprano Mariangela Sicilia as Mimí, plus the robust, charismatic, virile and bold dramatic baritone Nicola Alaimo as Marcello and the excitingly magical lyric coloratura soprano Hasmik Torosyan as Musetta, fare as the iconic pairs of lovers in this Puccini magnum opus? Find out in this review and let me know your opinions as well.
We’re ringing in the new year with two pairs of lovers, a musician, and a philosopher, who in turn are the main characters of this über-popular Puccini opera. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
It is the night before I leave for Helsinki for my Christmas and New Year’s break. So, what better way to greet my holiday than with a soprano I read a lot about online, yet have not seen nor heard her live, the fine, young lirico-spinto soprano, Signorina Elena Guseva. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
How spellbinding were Michael Fabiano’s Rodolfo and Nicole Car’s Mimi? How uproariously fun and grand were Mariusz Kwiecien’s Marcello and Simona Mihai’s Musetta? How did everything come together? Find out in this review of La Boheme live from the Royal Opera House. #ROHBoheme
When you put a powerhouse dramatic soprano who is known to the world for her portrayals of such mighty madames like Abigaille and Lady Macbeth, a dramatic tenor whose voice is like ocean waves ready for the surf, a dramatic baritone whose penchant for scoundrels is the stuff of popularity, throw in such crowd-pleasing supporting players, and a conductor to as a binding agent, you know this is going to be an exceptional tour de force of a performance. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Hugo de Ana’s visionary production of Tosca is rich in its grandiosity and scale, thanks to strong performances by Ainhoa Arteta, Aleksandrs Antonenko, and Boris Statsenko. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
The elegant Lise Lindstrom, the charismatic Roberto Alagna, and the inimitable Aleksandra Kurzak combine their artistic powers as the three pivotal roles of Turandot, Calaf, and Liu.