Opera Interviews - Page 6

In a continuation of our extraordinary conversation, Maestro Ferruccio Furlanetto reveals insights on performing the astonishing Russian basso repertoire - in Russia....

Notwithstanding the pall of despondency hovering over San Diego Opera, to be in the presence of Ferruccio Furlanetto's greatness for one amazing hour while he imparted his wisdom was an overwhelming experience....

Gracious, charming, highly intelligent and perceptive, Polish-born artist Piotr Beczala (dubbed 'Piotr the Great' in San Francisco), first graced the San Diego Opera stage in his 2010 Boheme debut, triumphed these past weeks in Verdi's A Masked Ball, and will complete his 'March madness' with Verdi'...

'I'm not a warhorse kind of singer,' mezzo Susan Graham states matter-of-factly. 'A. I'm a mezzo. B. I'm not a character mezzo. C. I'm not a contralto. The iconic opera repertoire for mezzos, Amneris (AIDA), Azucena (IL TROVATORE), even Eboli (DON CARLO)--those kinds of roles aren't my stock and tra...

Overheard at the opening night intermission of SD Opera's glittering production of Verdi's 'A Masked Ball': 'The music is really good.' Love and death, jealousy and revenge, assassination and intrigue, culminating in a dazzle of song, dance, and a shower of sparkling gold......

THE TENOR, the new novel by BWW's Classical Music Editor, Peter Danish, is a sweeping tale of a young tenor, that extends from pre-war Italy to his coming of age as a soldier in war-torn Greece, and ends in 1965 with Maria Callas' historic final performance at New York's Metropolitan Opera House. Ba...

A Wagner-loving cat and a childhood listening to the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts influenced Lesley Koenig's eventual plunge into the world of opera....

He was the dashing yet fickle prince in the Met's HD Live broadcast of Dvorak's RUSALKA and the womanizing Duke who concluded that “La donna e mobile” (“Woman is fickle”) in last year's “Ratpack” RIGOLETTO at the Met as well. Yet, Polish tenor Piotr Beczala is true-blue--to musical style....

Aprile Millo returns to the operatic stage in Italy this month in Puccini's Il Tabarro....

In part one of my recent interview with Director Andrew Sinclair, he shared his insights and experiences directing San Diego Opera, from Aida to the 2014 opening of the powerful verismo opera 'Pagliacci.' In part two, Sinclair delves further into the subject of character in opera....

He has great analytical skills, approaches his roles with remarkable intelligence, and even accompanies himself at the piano. Baritone Stephen Powell, who sings his first Tonio in San Diego Opera's opening production of 'Pagliacci' this season, embodies the phrase, 'multi-talented.'...

Veteran opera director Andrew Sinclair, director of this season's opening San Diego Opera production, Leoncavallo's 'Pagliacci', knows what makes opera tick....

The young Nevada tenor about to perform in PIQUE DAME talks with us about vocal training, exposing children to opera, and the Academy of Vocal Arts program....

Houston Grand Opera is proudly presenting the US Premiere of Mieczyslaw Weinberg and Alexander Medvedv's 1968 opera THE PASSENGER. After the Second World War, a German couple, Lisa and Walter, are sailing to Brazil. Lisa, unbeknownst to her husband, was a camp guard at Auschwitz and feels she recogn...

Shortly after many children all over Houston had hunted lawns for eggs and other treats that the mythical Easter Bunny delivered this past Sunday, I had a delightful conversation with composer Marty Regan and librettist Kenny Fries for Houston Grand Opera (HGO)'s 50th World Premiere, THE MEMORY ST...

Expect the unexpected from cabaret stylist Patricia Racette. Yes, I said 'cabaret.' If you've only heard her at the Met or San Francisco Opera as Tosca or Madama Butterfly, you'll probably find her performance in 'Diva on Detour' a revelation. It's 'a high-note-free zone'--which doesn't give a hint ...

As Houston Grand Opera began rehearsing SHOW BOAT, the Houston theatre community started to focus a lot of attention on the production. Utilizing social media, friends and followers of the artists got inside looks into the impressive amounts of dedicated labor, passion, and sheer hard work that went...

Despite being wholly busy and working on perfecting DON GIOVANNI with the Houston Grand Opera creative teams and cast, I had the pleasure of being able to spend a delightful 30 minutes with the talented and intelligent Rachel Willis-Sørensen. We discussed her career, including her impressive contest...

In the crisp, morning hours on December 27, 2012 I got the chance to speak with Lara Teeter, who will be playing Cap'n Andy in the upcoming production of SHOW BOAT at Houston Grand Opera. The celebrated actor had a plethora of interesting and scholarly items to discuss about SHOW BOAT, and the chara...

Patrick Carfizzi has a lot of future projects lined up. Yet, Houston audiences are lucky enough to have the opportunity to see him perform as Mustafa in Rossini's THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS, playing now through November 11, 2012. When Patrick Carfizzi isn't on stage he is teaching (which is somethi...

LA BOHÈME opens this week at Houston Grand Opera. It runs from October 19 to November 10, 2012. Busy with rehearsals and putting the final touches on this perennial favorite, Heidi Stober who is portraying Musetta took a few moments to chat about the character, the show, and herself....

Catherine Filloux is applying the finishing touches to her highly anticipated, new libretto for Houston Grand Opera's production of New Arrivals. Houston Grand Opera commissioned the piece. Giving Houston and world audiences a sneak peak into the opera, with a score by John Gover, and the story behi...