Category: Commentary

For a Fill-In Aida, a Triumph Long in Coming By ANNE MIDGETTE [NY Times] Angela M. Brown grew up singing gospel music in her grandfather’s Baptist church in Indianapolis, but…

Dubious History – Miraculous Music By John Yohalem [Playbill Arts] November 1, 2004 I Vespri Siciliani, a collaboration between Verdi and librettist Eugène Scribe, produced some astounding music–but historical fact…

Signifying Nothing: On the Aesthetics of Pure Voice in Early Venetian Opera Mauro Calcagno[1] Operas written in Venice in the 1640s feature surprisingly long melismas often setting seemingly insignificant words,…

by Miguel A. DeVirgilio Dario Volonté was born on September 1, 1963, in Buenos Aires, although his family came from a humble household some 250 miles north of the capital,…

Contralto taking on fresh challenge in ‘Il Trovatore’ By TOM STRINI Journal Sentinel music critic Posted: Nov. 1, 2004 Ewa Podles, a leading international concert and opera contralto, will make…

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Heidi Waleson opines on the future of the Met under Peter Gelb’s leadership. She maintains that, given his background with Sony, this is a radical…

*Brownlee lends voice to the subject of race* By Richard Dyer, Globe Staff | October 31, 2004 African-American divas have swept triumphantly across the international operatic stage for decades, and…

*Carmen Forever* By Octavio Roca October 19, 2004 Bizet’s legendary heroine still inspires artists and opera lovers. The woman is fascinating, no question about it. Little by little, we are…

*US countertenor who is a wow in Europe* By Francis Carlin Published: October 28 2004 03:00 | Last updated: October 28 2004 03:00 It is always a good sign when…

*MEMORIES OF ROBERT MERRILL: AMERICAN OPERATIC ICON* by James Engdahl, Engdahl Artists International Robert Merrill, born Moishe Miller in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, passed away last Saturday, October 22,…