What's Opera Doc moving to a new home

Moving to a new home HERE. and HERE.
Stay tuned for updates!!!

Today's opera events - November 10th, 2006

Today we can celebrate the birthday of Francois Couperin (1668-1733).

Also, the following works premiered on this date:

Leoncavallo's "Zaza" (1900).
Mascagni's "I Rantzau" (1892).
Verdi's "La Forza Del Destino" (1862).

Of note: Fritz Kreisler at the age of thirteen made his American debut
in 1888 at the Old Steinway Hall in New York City. John McCormack made
his MET debut in 1909 singing in Verdi's "La Traviata." And........Bob
Dilley goofed again yesterday by failing to review my syllabus resulting
in my neglecting to post the birthdays of Thomas Quasthoff (1959), and
Aureliano Pertile (1885-1952). My apologies to both artists and all
forum members for these omissions. As always, I promise not to ever do
it again.........until the next time.

The quote for today is: "The first sonata in this collection of the four
suites, LES NATIONS, is the first that I composed, and the first to be
composed in France. Its story is curious. Charmned by those sonatas of
Signor Corelli whose works I shall love as much as I live, much as I
love the French works of M. de Lully, I attempted to compose one.
Knowing the greed of the French for foreign novelties, and lacking in
self confidence, I pretended that a relative of mine in the service of
the King of Sardinia had sent me a sonata by a recent Italian composer.
I rearranged the letters of my own name into an Italian one (Coperuni or
Pernucio), which I used instead. The sonata was devoured eagerly. I
wrote others, and my Italianized name brought me much applause under the
disguise." Francois Couperin.

~thanks to opera-l for the information

Tuesdays opera- Boris Christoff as Boris Godounov

In this masterpiece by Moussorgsky, Boris Christoff portrays the Tsar.

Boris Godunov the(Rimsky-Korsakov edition)
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire
with John Lanigan, Jacques Mars, Boris Christoff, Evelyn Lear, Milen Paounov, Anton Diakov
Conducted by Andre Cluytens

I am including the cover art from the album, since it is so wonderful - you really miss this on the Cd re-release.

The version played will be the version ON VINYL. The opera is sung in Russian.
Synopsis HERE.

Events in opera history today, October 29th, 2006

Today we can celebrate the birthdays of:

Igor Gorin (1908-1982)
Tiana Lemnitz (1897-1994)
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)

Also, the following works premiered on this date:

Donizetti's "I Pirati" (1822)
Rossini's "L'Equivoco Straavagante" (1816)
Gretry's "L'Ami de la Maison" (1771)

Let us remember Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) and Walter
Gieseking (1895-1956) who passed away on this date.

The quote for today is: "My hey day is over and another must take my
place. The world wants something new. Others have ceded their
places to us and we must cede ours to still others. I am more than
happy to give mine to people of talent like Verdi." Gaetano
Donizetti.

Franz Liszt - one of the world's most famous Hungarians - happy birthday

oh and thanks for all the good music, too!


Today we can celebrate the birthdays of:

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Giovanni Martinelli1885-1969)
Vincenzo Manfridini (1737-1799)

Let us remember the following artists who passed away on this date:

Jean Leclair (1920-1984)
Pablo Casals (1876-1973)
Ludwig Spohr (1784-1859)
Plinio Clabassi (1920-1984)
Gerhard Pechner (1903-1969)
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)

The quote for today is: "There are ballades and romances to be found
among the Gypsies, but their few lays rank no higher than awkward
experiments not to be classes with works of art." Franz Liszt.

Overheard in New York - the Opera version

But What I Really Want to Do Is Direct

Opera singer #1: So you gave up the rodeo to join the opera?
Opera singer #2: Yeah.

--Band shell, Central Park

Overheard by: Jason

via Overheard in New York, Oct 21, 2006

Washington National Opera Internet "telecast" announced

In its continuing efforts to win a wider audience, the Washington
National Opera plans to present its second free live simulcast from the Kennedy
Center to the Mall on Nov. 12.

"Madama Butterfly" will be shown that afternoon on an 18-by-32-foot
video
screen located near the Capitol as part of what WNO now says is
a "commitment" to telecasting one opera a year. Last November, George
and
Ira Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" drew an audience estimated at 13,000
people.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/18/AR2006101801913.html

Today's operatic birthdays and events - October 21,2006

Today we can celebrate the birthdays of:

Virginia Zeani (1925)
Georg Solti (1912-1997)
John Alexander (1923-1990)
Joseph Cantelolube (1879-1957)

Also, the following works premiered on this date:

Gretry's "Richard Coeur de Lion" (1784)
Mussorgsky's "The Fair at Sorochinck" (1913)
Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld" (1858)