Q&A When did you start playing an instrument? I was 6 years old, and I started to study cello. Why did you start playing? My father is a cellist and my mother loves music, so that is why I started to study cello so young. Which musicians inspired you most when you were young? Stravinsky, Kleiber, Bernstein, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Otis Redding. Which musicians … [Read more...] about Francesco Lanzillotta answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Conductors’ Edition
Leonard Bernstein
Photo Album: first look at The Royal Ballet’s celebration of Leonard Bernstein
The curtain has just gone down on a triple bill that contains two world premieres. Here is a first look at the Bernstein Centenary programme. The Royal Ballet celebrates the centenary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth with an all-Bernstein programme from the Company’s three associate choreographers: Wayne McGregor, Liam Scarlett and Christopher Wheeldon. This mixed programme is … [Read more...] about Photo Album: first look at The Royal Ballet’s celebration of Leonard Bernstein
Royal Ballet Associate Choreographers Celebrate The Music Of Leonard Bernstein
Wayne McGregor – Yugen Christopher Wheeldon – Corybantic Games Liam Scarlett – first revival of The Age of Anxiety Thursday 15 March – Monday 9 April with a Live Cinema Screening Tuesday 27 March. Leonard Bernstein achieved popular and critical acclaim across musical genres. To celebrate the centenary of his birth and as part of the global ‘Leonard Bernstein at 100’ … [Read more...] about Royal Ballet Associate Choreographers Celebrate The Music Of Leonard Bernstein
A first listen to the new Maria Callas Live: Remastered Live Recordings 1949-1964
More than a gift to their own coffers, Warner Classics in releasing Maria Callas Live is giving fans of La Divina and lovers of opera a meticulously restored collection of some of her finest performances to treasure. It is timed to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of her death in Paris on 16 September 1977. The 42 CDs contain 20 complete operas, and three Blu-ray discs hold … [Read more...] about A first listen to the new Maria Callas Live: Remastered Live Recordings 1949-1964
Thomas Hampson answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition
Q&A When did you start singing? In the crib. Apparently, I was a very vocal baby … no seriously, I already sang as a child. Why did you start singing? I loved tunes and music always made sense to me. Which singer inspired you most when you were young? Frank Sinatra. Which singer do you most admire? Giuseppe de Luca for pure vocalism and Tito Gobbi for why … [Read more...] about Thomas Hampson answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition
Marianela Nuñez leads out the Royal Ballet for their American tour
The Royal Ballet returns to the USA in June 2015 with programmes that reflect both the company’s heritage and its contemporary repertoire. It also brings with it the extraordinary lineup of dancers that make up the Royal Ballet today. Aside from the Brits - Lauren Cuthbertson, Rupert Pennefather and Edward Watson - there are the Americans, Sarah Lamb and Nehemiah Kish; the … [Read more...] about Marianela Nuñez leads out the Royal Ballet for their American tour
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
Daniel Barenboim on ‘his’ Fidelio at La Scala
The opening of La Scala's season on 7 December each year is the most anticipated and often contested event in the international opera calendar. Daniel Barenboim opens the 2014-2015 Opera and Ballet Season with Fidelio directed by Deborah Warner. It marks the end of his nine years at the Teatro alla Scala at its musical helm, even though Barenboim’s first concert at La Scala … [Read more...] about Daniel Barenboim on ‘his’ Fidelio at La Scala
Fabio Luisi answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Conductors’ Edition
Q&A When did you start playing an instrument? When I was three and a half years old. Why did you start playing? My parents sent me to piano lessons, for me it was more like a game. Which musicians inspired you most when you were young? My teacher, Lili Chiesa, who was violinist in the orchestra in Genoa and pianist. Which musicians (instrumentalists or singers) do you … [Read more...] about Fabio Luisi answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Conductors’ Edition
Opera star Regina Resnik dies at 90
Regina Resnik, who was born as Resnick (she lost the 'c' early on) in the Bronx in 1922, has died in New York after a stroke, at 90. Resnick had a remarkable career change in her thirties went her voice shifted from soprano to mezzo. In an interview with the New York Times in 1967, she said, It was the biggest gamble of my life, when I decided over two tumultuous years that … [Read more...] about Opera star Regina Resnik dies at 90