Franco Fagioli answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition
Q&A When did you start singing? I don’t remember exactly when… Why did you start singing? Because it felt good. Which singers inspired you most…
Cecilia Bartoli: “Contemporary composers can’t write for opera singers like me”
I’ve been following this project for eight years and I’ve been to St Petersburg many times in train or by ship, because I don’t like…
The world of composer Steve Barakatt: from space to eternal life in Russia
You may not have heard the name of Canadian composer Steve Barakatt, but how many composers have had a composition played in space? This happened…
The funeral of Magda Olivero – 11 September 2014
Magda Olivero’s funeral was a life affirming mix of emotions. She was a practising Catholic, and three different priests, who had been close to her…
Vittorio Grigolo’s new women’s shoes and a song for Hillary Clinton
Vittorio Grigolo is not normal. While no artist is normal – and some are downright strange – Grigolo is something of an eccentric, both onstage (just…
Gheorghiu the Diva vs Angela the Woman
Angela Gheorghiu and Jeff Cohen 2014 Angela Gheorghiu acts the diva, but she doesn’t seem to be one. Before her appearances in…
Muti shocked, Zakharova cancels: strikes and budget disaster at Rome Opera
Carlo FuortesCarlo Fuortes, the new director of Rome Opera, has a difficult path ahead of him. During the first few months…
The face of a soprano: Fornasetti’s obsession with Lina Cavalieri
Piero Fornasetti with some of his plates “Variation is not only a noble endeavour or a musical exercise, but also an intellectual…
Renata Scotto on Maria Callas: greater than all of us
Renata Scotto “Listen to me, everyone speak about Callas. But I know Callas. I know Callas before she was Callas. She…
Unseen photos: Maria Callas at La Scala
Maria Callas in La Traviata – Teatro alla Scala, 1956 Maria Callas would have been 90 today, yet she died 36…
