Breathing Curiosity
Marcello Giordani was widely regarded as a standout among his generation's operatic tenors, both for his numerous acclaimed performances at the world's major operatic venues, including more than 240 at the Met, and for his many highly praised recordings. He was well known for several roles in the operas of Verdi and Puccini, but he… Continue reading The Life You Give: Marcello Giordani *1963
Plácido Domingo, born January 21 1941 in Madrid, Spain, is singer, conductor, and opera administrator whose resonant, powerful tenor voice, imposing physical stature, good looks, and dramatic ability made him one of the most popular tenors of his time.Domingo’s parents were noted performers in zarzuela, a form of Spanish light opera. The family moved to… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Plácido Domingo! *1941
Marilyn Horne, born January 16, 1934 in Bradford, Pennsylvania, was one of the most admired singers of her generation, and was a major factor in the bel canto revival of the 1960s. While she was especially associated with the works of Rossini and Handel (she persuaded the Metropolitan Opera to mount Rinaldo for her in… Continue reading The Life You Give: Marilyn Horne *1934
Sherrill Milnes was born on January 10, 1935, and grew up on a dairy farm in Downers Grove, Illinois. Despite a childhood devoted to daily chores, he took voice lessons and studied piano, violin, viola, double bass, clarinet, and tuba. But when it came time for college, he pursued pre-medical studies. After a year and… Continue reading The Live You Give: Sherrill Milnes *1935
Though she has achieved much acclaim for her Wagnerian roles -- and rightly so, mezzo-soprano Waltraud Meier possesses a vast repertory -- not to mention a consummate skill -- in Italian, French, and even Russian opera, from Bizet's Carmen and Tchaikovsky's Jeanne d'Arc to Verdi's Azucena (Il Trovatore) and Saint-Saëns' Dalila (Samson and Dalila). She… Continue reading The Life You Give: Waltraut Meier *1956
Grace Bumbry is a pioneering Mezzo & Soprano. Few mezzo-sopranos have successfully made the transition to becoming top sopranos. Grace Bumbry managed that. She was also a major figure in helping black singers find their rightful place on the opera stage in an era where segregation ran rampant.Born on Jan. 4, 1937, the mezzo was… Continue reading The Life You Give: Grace Bumbry *1937
Edita Gruberova, born December 23, 1946, in Bratislava, was a Slovak soprano and one of the most acclaimed coloraturas of recent decades. She is noted for her great tonal clarity, agility, and ability to sing high notes with great power, making her an ideal Queen of the Night in her early years. In recent years,… Continue reading The Life You Give: Edita Gruberova *1946
Giacomo Puccini, born Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini, December 22, 1858, in Lucca, Tuscany [Italy], is the composer, and one of the greatest exponents of operatic realism, who virtually brought the history of Italian opera to an end. His mature operas included La Bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), Madama Butterfly (1904), and Turandot (left… Continue reading The Life You Give: Giacomo Puccini *1858
Ludwig van Beethoven, born on December 17, 1770, in Bonn, Germany, was a composer, and the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras.Widely regarded as the greatest composer who ever lived, Ludwig van Beethoven dominates a period of musical history as no one else before or since. Rooted in… Continue reading The Life You Give: Ludwig van Beethoven *1770
Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, born Dec. 9, 1915, in Jarotschin, near Posen, Germany, [now Poznań, Poland] was a soprano who performed in the major opera houses of the Western world and is remembered especially for her mastery of German songs known as lieder.Schwarzkopf studied at the Berlin High School for Music from 1934, winning various prizes.… Continue reading The Life You Give: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf *1915
“La Damnation de Faust” Opus 24Dramatic Legend for four soloists, children’s chorus, seven-part choir, and orchestraComposer: Hector Berlioz Librettists: Hector Berlioz, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, & Almire GandonnièrePremiere: December 6 1846 On this recording:Kenneth Riegel —- Tenor [Faust]José van Dam —- Bass [Méphistophélès]Frederica von Stade —- Mezzo-soprano [Marguerite] Malcolm King —- Bass [Brander]Conductor – Sir… Continue reading La Damnation de Faust (Berlioz) premiered today in 1846
Opera, Blood, and Tears presents Samson and Delilah (by Camille Saint-Saëns)December w at 11:55pm ESTon Clubhouse Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns Librettist: Ferdinand Lemaire ACT I Gaza, 1150 B.C. In a square in Gaza, a group of Hebrews beg Jehovah for relief from their bondage to the Philistines; Samson, their leader, rebukes them for their lack of… Continue reading “Samson and Delilah” by Camille Saint-Saëns (premiered 12.2.1877)
Photo: Houston Rogers Maria Callas, original name Maria Cecilia Sophia Anna Kalogeropoulos, born December 2, 1923, New York, New York, was an American-born Greek operatic soprano who revived classical coloratura roles in the mid-20th century with her lyrical and dramatic versatility. Callas was the daughter of Greek immigrants and early developed an interest in singing.… Continue reading The Life You Give: Maria Callas *1923
Gaetano Donizetti, born on Nov. 29, 1797, in Bergamo, Cisalpine Republic, was an Italian opera composer whose numerous operas in both Italian and French represent a transitional stage in operatic development between Rossini and Verdi. Among his major works are Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), La fille du régiment (1840), and La favorite (1840). In his… Continue reading The Life You Give: Gaetano Donizetti *1797
Virgil Thomson, (born November 25, 1896, Kansas City, Missouri, USA ), American composer, conductor, and music critic whose forward-looking ideas stimulated new lines of thought among contemporary musicians. Thomson studied at Harvard University and later in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, a noted teacher of musical composition. There he was influenced by early 20th-century French composers,… Continue reading The Life You Give: Virgil Thomson *1896
Join us today at 1:55pm EST, as we listen to Alfredo Kraus, in Werther, by Jules Massenet, at the Opera, Blood, and Tears Club, on Clubhouse. One of the most stylistic, professional and refined tenors of the century, Spanish tenor Alfredo Kraus passed away recently in Madrid after a long and outstanding career in the… Continue reading Alfredo Kraus, in Massenet’s opera “Werther” in 1976
Manuel María de los Dolores Falla y Matheu was born November 23, 1876, in Cádiz, Spain, and is the most distinguished Spanish composer of the early 20th century. In his music he achieved a fusion of poetry, asceticism, and ardour that represents the spirit of Spain at its purest. Falla took piano lessons from his… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Manuel de Falla! 1876
Listen in at the Opera, Blood and Tears Club, on Clubhouse, at 7:30 pm EST Il Marchese di Calatrava – Kurt MollDonna Leonora – Leontyne PriceDon Carlo di Vargas – Sherrill MilnesDon Alvaro – Plácido DomingoPreziosilla – Fiorenza CossottoPadre Guardiano – Bonaldo GiaiottiFra Melitone – Gabriel BacquierCurra – Gillian KnightTrabuco – Michel SénéchalUn Alcalde –… Continue reading Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino” premiered today in 1862
Join us in listening to this opera, in celebration of Benjamin Britten’s birthday today, at 1pm EST, at the Opera, Blood and Tears Club, on Clubhouse. Music: Benjamin BrittenLibretto: Montague Slater Musicians:Benjamin Britten - conductorPeter Pears - peter grimesClaire Watson - ellen orfordJames Pease - capitän balstrodeJean Watson - auntieDavid Kelly - hobsonOwen Brannigan -… Continue reading “Peter Grimes” by Benjamin Britten
Sila Blume 