Luca Pisaroni answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers' Edition
Q&A When did you start singing? I started singing when I was 12/13 years old. I was a tenor then… Why did you start singing?…
Joyce DiDonato answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers' Edition
Q&A When did you start singing? I can't ever remember I time when I didn't sing. Why did you start singing? I can't remember the…
Barbra Streisand's last concert
With last night's concert in Berlin, Barbra Streisand said auf wiedersehen to Europe forever. In fact, apart from two last concerts in Israel, she is saying…
Natalie Dessay to say ‘addio' to opera
I want to change my life – I want to go into straight theatre. Natalie Dessay announced to Examiner.com's Sean Martinfield. After the summer Dessay…
Joyce DiDonato's recital interrupted by a call from Rossini
Joyce DiDonato well and truly conquered La Scala's audience during her recital last night. She was greeted by an ovation that took her aback –…
100 years after the riot: The Rite of Spring by those who were there
One day, when I was finishing the last pages of The Firebird in St Petersburg [in 1910], I had a fleeting vision… I saw in my imagination…
Cecilia Bartoli triumphs at La Scala amidst catcalls and boos
After nineteen years, Cecilia Bartoli's return to Milan's La Scala tonight was long overdue. Daniel Barenboim was the instigator of the event, the opening of…
The Man I Love – was George Gershwin gay?
Michael Feinstein's book on the Gershwins called, sensibly, “The Gershwins and Me” (Simon & Schuster) was published in October. While he was still working in…
Composer Julian Cochran on music, maths and method
Composer Julian Cochran has two phrases in his publicity blurb which leap out of the page. One, tender and intimate, gives a clue to the…
Vittorio Grigolo on his last meeting with Pavarotti and on finding his siblings
Vittorio Grigolo is a firecracker of a man, exploding in all directions, often loudly, causing excitement – and a little disorientation – among those nearby. At least that is…
