tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283442772011-12-13T19:56:04.980-08:00A blog which explains all about Opera, the music,the composers, the singers, the orchestras, the conductors, DVD on Opera, Opera CDKeithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-91531031290220024562007-04-02T11:29:00.000-07:002007-04-02T11:38:33.760-07:00

I recently designed 2 new websites on health matters nothing to do with Opera.Acne Health - http://www.zendurl.com/skincareGet A Better Sleep At Night - http://a-better-sleep.comI hope you find these sites helpful.

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1157562091040680602006-09-06T10:01:00.000-07:002007-02-26T00:41:50.420-08:00

Rigoletto scene and partial duetWhat a voice Aldo Protti as Rigoletto and Gabriella Tucci as Gilda (Live 1961)

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1153246119266990832006-07-18T11:07:00.000-07:002006-07-18T11:08:39.280-07:00

Beniamino Gigli was born in Recanati near Ancona, the son of a shoe-maker and an opera buff.In 1914, Gigli won first prize in an international singing competition in Parma. Gigli made many important debuts, in quick succession and always in Mefistofele: Teatro Massimo di Palermo (March 31, 1915), Teatro San Carlo di Napoli (December 26, 1915), Teatro Costanzi di Roma (December 26, 1916), La Scala

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1153245958657928472006-07-18T11:05:00.000-07:002006-07-18T11:06:00.146-07:00

Beniamino Gigli - Ombra mai fu

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1152292357488187312006-07-07T10:12:00.000-07:002006-08-11T20:42:54.526-07:00

Pavarotti/Ghiaurov Verdi Requiem solos-1970A rare excerpt of Pavarotti without the beard and slimmer

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1151749085803684522006-07-01T03:18:00.000-07:002006-07-01T03:18:05.826-07:00

Mado Robin sings Bb over high C !!!!Amazing singing. Couldn't believe the high note at the end. WOW!!!!!!!!

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1151601653042724302006-06-29T10:15:00.000-07:002006-10-15T13:26:26.310-07:00

Frances Alda (born Fanny Jane Davis) (May 31, 1879? - September 18, 1952) was a New Zealand operatic soprano. Fanny Jane Davis was born in Christchurch in 1879. Alda's maternal grandparents, Martin and Fanny Simonsen, were also singers. Alda's mother died at an early age. Alda's first stage name was "Francie Adler," after her stepfather's surname. At 22, Alda, now renamed "Frances Jean Davies" to

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1150844988084227222006-06-20T15:49:00.000-07:002007-02-21T01:38:41.660-08:00

Giovanni Martinelli was born in Montangana, Italy in 1885. He was the son of a cabinet maker. He studied the clarinet and joined the regimental band during his national service. His voice was discovered by the band director and told him to start studying the voice.His opera debut was in 1910 in Verdi's "Ernani". During this period he was heard by Toscanini and offered Giovanni to sing in

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1150311654932440002006-06-14T11:51:00.000-07:002006-06-14T12:00:54.946-07:00

She was born at "Doonside" in 1861, Richmond (now an inner suburb of Melbourne) into a musical family, attending Presbyterian Ladies' College (a prestigious private school) where her musical talent emerged. The cottage is located at the current juncture of Maroondah Highway and Melba Highway (named in her honour). In Emma Eames' memoirs, Melba is an unnamed wicked force who frustrated opportunity

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1150054743906444342006-06-11T12:39:00.000-07:002006-06-11T12:42:54.026-07:00

Biography from Bassocantante.comThe biographical information I have found on Marcel Journet has been shadowy and contradictory. He reportedly studied singing in Paris and according to one source, made his operatic début at Béziers in 1891 in La favorite. He sang at La Monnaie from 1894-1900, then was based in Paris, appearing both at the Opéra and the Opéra-Comique, where he sang in the French

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1149702093546668912006-06-07T10:22:00.000-07:002007-02-25T17:07:15.753-08:00

Conchita Supervia was born in Barcelona, in 1895. When she was a baby she was baptized Concepcion Supervi­a Pascual. Her education started at the local convent and when she was twelve years old, she entered the city's conservatory to study singing. Her singing debut was in Argentina, when she was only fifteen years old.She sanga lott of operas throughout her career and was notably suited to

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1149516593734064552006-06-05T06:52:00.000-07:002006-06-05T07:09:53.753-07:00

Alessandro Bonci was born near Rimini, in 1870. He studied voice in Pesaro, with Pedrotti. In 1896 he made his debut as a opera singer, in Parma.In his early years his was Enrico Caruso's only rival, but never became as famous as Caruso.He sang in many countries around the world and sang over 14 roles at the Metropolitan Opera House in the USA.The latter part of his years, he taught singing,

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1149417365856998402006-06-04T03:15:00.000-07:002006-06-04T03:36:05.863-07:00

Mattia Battistini was born in 1856, in Rome. His father was a professor in anatomy and hoped that Mattia would take to medicine as a career. However, from his early years Mattia was in love with music and showed a talent for singing.He studied with a singing teacher called Venceslao Persichini, who also had taught some famous singers. Mattia first opera singing was "La Favorita" by Donizetti, in

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1149260667018532642006-06-02T08:04:00.000-07:002006-06-02T08:04:27.026-07:00

Marcella Sembrich was born in 1858, in Poland. She started her studies by learning the piano and violin. Her voice training started, when she went to Milan and studied with Francesco Lamperti.Her first opera engagement was in Athens in 1877, singing in "I Puritani". She sang in Russia for over sixteen years during her early career, and in other European countries. Her debut in the USA was in 1883

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1149157440758422092006-06-01T03:23:00.000-07:002006-06-01T03:24:00.766-07:00

Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was born in Kazan, Russia in 1873. He became one of the most famous bass singers of his time, his acting abilities were also very good.He mainly taught himself how to sing and in 1894, sang in St Petersburg, at the Imperial Opera Theatre. He spent his early years in Russia and didn't travel outside until 1901, where he sang at La Scala, Milan.He sang many operatic roles

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1149110233416193272006-05-31T14:14:00.000-07:002006-05-31T14:17:13.426-07:00

He was born on February 25th 1873, in Naples, Italy. His family were very poor, and his father was a alcoholic. Enrico had no musical education, only what he learned from church and singing in the choir. In his teenage years his voice had broken and he became a serenade singer.On the 15th March 1895 he made his debut as a opera singer. In 1897, he was actually picked by Puccini to sing a lead

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148902003578099872006-05-29T04:18:00.000-07:002006-05-29T04:26:43.586-07:00

Charles Francois Gounod was born in 1818, in Paris. His father was a talented painter and architect, his mother was a gifted pianist. At the age of four his father died and he was looked after by his mother, who taught him music. In 1836, he entered the Paris conservatory to study composition and counterpoint. After leaving the conservatory, he traveled to Italy and Germany, exploring the

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148850656576106642006-05-28T14:03:00.000-07:002006-05-28T14:10:56.583-07:00

I would like thank Historical Tenors website for there link to my blog.If you are interested in hearing famous Tenors, from Caruso to Pavarotti, in all the singing glory then take a look at Historical Tenors. You will need Realplayer to listen to the audio files.

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148748767240856472006-05-27T09:42:00.000-07:002006-05-27T09:52:47.246-07:00

Alexandre-César-Léopold Bizet was born in 1838, in Paris. However, he was later given the name Georges Bizet. His parents were professional musicians and he studied from an early age. When he was nine, he entered the Paris Conservatory of Music. He became a great pianist and composed a lot of classical music during his teenage years.His famous opera "Les pecheurs de perles" was composed within

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148653914819857742006-05-26T06:17:00.000-07:002006-05-26T07:31:54.860-07:00

Louis Hector Berlioz was born in 1803, in France. His father, Louis was a doctor and persuaded Hector to study medicine in Paris. However, he decided not to take up the medical profession because he didn't like doing dissecting. So in 1822 he joined the Paris Conservatoire to study composition and opera. During 1823 he wrote his first opera "Estelle et Nemorin", however the music score has never

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148639768410533222006-05-26T03:28:00.000-07:002006-05-26T03:36:08.416-07:00

Take a look at http://whfropera.blogspot.com/ for the latest news in the world of opera. Have a listen to there live radio station.Only a click away.

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148582267045006922006-05-25T11:28:00.000-07:002006-05-25T11:37:47.046-07:00

Umberto Giordano was born in 1867, in Foggia, Italy. Umberto's father who was a chemist, hoped that he would become a great fencing champion. However, Umberto had ideas of becoming a musician, and in 1882 he joined the Naples conservatory. After studying for seven years, he wrote his first opera "Marina". His next opera which became a scandal at the time, this was "Mala Vita". After moving to

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148581674251880062006-05-25T11:21:00.000-07:002006-05-25T11:27:54.260-07:00

Amilcare Ponchielli was born in 1834, in Paderno, near Cremona. When he was nine years old he entered the Milan Conservatory, to study music. In 1856, he wrote his first opera which was "I promessi sposi" based on story by Alessandro Manzoni. During his the early days, he didn't do that well and had to turn to doing part-time jobs. In 1872, he signed a contract with G. Ricordi & Co, which were

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Ruggero Leoncavallo was born in Naples, in 1857. His father Vincenzo, was a magistrate and his mother Virginia, an ancestor of Neapolitan painters. His first lessons in music were taught privately, then he went to study at the conservatory in Naples. After graduating at the conservatory, he went to study literature at Bologna. He was in his twenties now and started to compose operas.His first

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148486471908144382006-05-24T08:50:00.000-07:002006-05-24T10:55:05.650-07:00

Pietro Mascagni was born in 1863, in Livorno, Italy. His father who was a baker, hoped that Pietro would become a lawyer, however Pietro had other ideas. He wanted to be a musician and persuaded his father to send him to the Milan Conservatoire, where he studied for three years. He became very good at composition as well as gaining a knowledge of all musical instruments, this gave him skills as

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148393191080877752006-05-23T06:41:00.000-07:002006-05-23T07:10:20.020-07:00

Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was born in Lucca, Tuscany in 1858.He was born to a family of organists and choirmasters. At the age of five his father died and he was sent to his uncle to study music. After some time studying music, he became a church organist and choirmaster. It was during this time he saw a perfomance of "Aida" by Giuseppe Verdi, in Pisa. This opera

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148311088524042742006-05-22T07:38:00.000-07:002006-05-22T08:18:08.553-07:00

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was born in Le Roncole, near Busseto Italy in 1813. His father was an innkeeper and had no musical training. However, Giuseppe showed some talent for the organ. He was taught composition by Ferdinando Provesi, who was the director of the local philharmonic society. When in his twenties Giuseppe traveled to Milan to study at the conservatory, he was however

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148214448397464972006-05-21T04:40:00.000-07:002006-05-21T05:27:29.173-07:00

Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was born in 1797, in Bergamo, Italy. His family was very poor and had no musical tradition. In 1806 he was enrolled into a charity school which taught music to children and also taught them singing, so they could join the choir. Gaetano was a very bright child and soon was taught how to play the harpsichord and to compose music by the founder of the school Simon

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148123994054931452006-05-20T03:59:00.000-07:002007-02-26T00:37:56.866-08:00

Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was born in Catania, Sicily on Nov 3rd 1801. His family were very musical, his father being an organist, Vincenzo became a child prodigy. At the age of two he began studying music theory, then at three he started learning the piano.At the age of six he wrote his first composition and started making a name for himself.In 1819 he left his home to travel

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148054188743293732006-05-19T08:54:00.000-07:002006-05-19T11:20:50.160-07:00

Gioacchino Antonio Rossini was born in 1792 in Pesaro, Italy. His parents were both musicians, his father "Giuseppe" was a horn player and his mother "Anna" a singer. During his boyhood he learnt the horn and singing. When he was six he played the triangle in his father's band. He trained at the "Conservatorio de Bologna" learning the cello, although it was said that he was very lazy with his

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1148037373123940802006-05-19T03:59:00.000-07:002006-05-19T11:10:52.683-07:00

Mozart was born on in 1756 at Salzburg, Austria. He was named at the time "Joannes Chrisostomos Wolfgang Gotlieb", but became internationally known as "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart". His parents were "Anna Maria Mozart" and "Leopold Mozart", he also had a sister called "Maria Anna Mozart" who was quite a good musician as well.His first operas "Mitridate" and "Lucio Silla" were composed between 1770-73

Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617790307800494497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28344277.post-1147983626351947682006-05-18T13:16:00.000-07:002006-05-18T13:20:26.360-07:00

Opera defined by a dictionary is "a theatrical presentation in which a dramatic performance is set to music" or another meaning "a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes"Opera to me means a great piece of music set to a wonderful story, it is sung by some great singers who are accompanied by a great orchestra, all conducted

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