The theatrical costume is a paradox: it hides, yet at the same time, communicates revealing aspects of a character; it is made to be seen from afar, yet the designers and costume makers care for the tiniest details, even if invisible. Each costume contains thousands of secrets, from colour combining to decoration, from the choice of a fabric to the technique to create a form. … [Read more...] about 80 years of opera and ballet costumes from La Scala go on display
Eugene Onegin
Frank Lopardo answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition
When did you start singing? I have been singing singing since I was small boy. However, my first official voice lesson was in September of 1977. The teacher's name is Dr Robert White Jr. I have studied with him for 38 years.Why did you start singing? It was pointed out to me that I had something valid and that I should pursue it seriously.Which singer inspired you … [Read more...] about Frank Lopardo answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition
Royal Ballet Onegin casting 2015: débuts for Osipova, Golding and Muntagirov
John Cranko's masterpiece, Onegin, returns to the Royal Opera House at the end of this month. Created for the Stuttgart Ballet in 1965, the Royal Ballet first performed this production in 2001 and have since made it a staple of the repertory.The upcoming performances feature role débuts from Principal dancer Natalia Osipova and First Soloist Itziar Mendizabal as Tatiana and … [Read more...] about Royal Ballet Onegin casting 2015: débuts for Osipova, Golding and Muntagirov
La Traviata at La Scala – first glimpses
Today's the day, tonight's the night. Milan celebrates Saint Ambrose (Sant'Ambrogio) and La Scala celebrates Giuseppe Verdi with a new production of La Traviata to open its 2013-2014 season.This is no ordinary opening, with tickets costing €2,000 in the stalls, and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, together with the President of the Senate, Pietro Grasso, and President … [Read more...] about La Traviata at La Scala – first glimpses
Great Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya dies at 86
Russian opera legend Galina Vishnevskaya has died today, December 11, at the age of 86.Vishnevskaya was born in St Petersberg (Leningrad) 25 October 1926, and cast out by her parents at six weeks. She was raised in absolute poverty by her grandmother. As a ten year old Galina was presented with a gramophone and an album of Eugene Onegin. This was her passport from the … [Read more...] about Great Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya dies at 86
Video of L.A. Opera’s changeover from ‘Cosi’ to ‘Onegin’ in 4 1/2 hours (video only 4 minutes!)
Opera audiences are used to seeing performances awash in spectacle. But they rarely get to glimpse the magic that occurs between shows -- namely, “the changeover,” when one production is taken down and another takes its place. “It’s like working a huge jigsaw puzzle,” says Rupert Hemmings, director of production at Los Angeles Opera. “It may seem haphazard, but everything’s … [Read more...] about Video of L.A. Opera’s changeover from ‘Cosi’ to ‘Onegin’ in 4 1/2 hours (video only 4 minutes!)
Doodles in the Bolshoi archives
The death of a tyrant, abduction by the secret police and insight into the minds of some of the greatest composers in history are all part of the details that Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre has discovered in the margins of the centuries-old sheet music in its archives.The discoveries have been made during the digitalization of the Bolshoi’s music archives, which are some of the … [Read more...] about Doodles in the Bolshoi archives