Word: opera
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
DIED. Gian Carlo Menotti, 95, Italian-born composer who reinvigorated American opera by bringing his lyrical, high-intensity works to mass audiences over the objections of critics who claimed his popular masterpieces were not sufficiently intellectual; in Monaco. Menotti, creator of the first opera written for radio, won the Pulitzer Prize for two of his operas, The Consul and The Saint of Bleecker Street. But he was best known for the 45-min. Amahl and the Night Visitors, a Christmas opera he wrote for TV. He continued his efforts to democratize the art in 1958 by founding Italy's influential...
...Valencia's biggest selling point is, quite simply, the talent it has attracted. Classical music legend Lorin Maazel is the opera company's music director and Mehta is its orchestra director, but Helga Schmidt, the former artistic director of London's Royal Opera House, is the Palau's artistic director and its driving force. Once Mehta heard Schmidt was heading Palau, he says, "I was convinced that the artistic quality would be extremely high...
...Schmidt's vision not just to attract stars from opera's firmament but also to seek out talented lesser-known artists, to create a world-class house that also provides opportunities for young performers to develop. Maazel personally conducted all auditions for the opera's musicians, first in Spain, then around the world, considering some 5,000 performers to find the 90-plus musicians from over 25 countries that now make up what Mehta calls his "virgin orchestra." Indeed, most of the musicians are in their early 30s, and some have never played in opera orchestras before. The opera company...
...This season's performances, which end on May 19 with Well-Paid Walk, are completely sold out, but these are early days, and some flashy new theaters like the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Southern California have failed to draw anticipated sellout audiences. Opera expert Payne suggests that Valencia may not achieve its goal of becoming a world opera mecca, but could become a fine regional draw. "Maybe it won't be able to compete with Milan," he says, "but it could be a Rome. It might not be Paris, but it could be a Lyons...
...those involved with the Palau believe they're onto something big. Richard Casero, a trombonist and native Valencian who, with his wife, flutist Magdalena Martínez, was reluctant to return to his hometown after working with better-known opera companies in London and Paris, says: "I was won over by the commitment to the quality of the musical performance. In the opera world, Valencia is a city of the future...