Month: January 2006

Inspired by the elitist poets of late nineteenth century Paris, Debussy was eager to join their ranks by developing musical ideas that evoked the same emotional response as the poetry he admired. Originally, PrÈlude ‡ líaprËs-midi díun faune was a collaborative project between Debussy and StÈphane MallarmÈ, a poet highly regarded by the composer.

Perhaps instead of waiting for the next great new opera, focus should be on finding the next great opera composer.

Clearly someone at Naxos loves Rossini. The label only recently released a good Cenerentola with the most excellent Joyce Di Donato, and the back catalog contains many titles, including highly praised sets of Barbieri (with Ramon Vargas) and Tancredi (featuring Ewa Podles).