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Looking at the origins of these familiar tunes actually put a damper on the otherwise celebratory mood they bring. Here are four of the most popular pieces of classical music that mean quite the opposite. -
On Record: James Inverne Remembers Jon Vickers (1926-2015)
"Opera," said the Canadian tenor Jon Vickers once in an interview, "is not entertainment." For entertainment, he explained, he would far rather watch My Fair Lady. Opera had to go deeper. It was deeper, or it was nothing. -
The Operatic Note: Birgit Nilsson Depicted on Riksbank Sweden's 500 Kronor Banknote Performing Wagner's 'Die Walküre'
The late great Wagnerian soprano, Birgit Nilsson, has been able to hit all the right notes. And now, Sweden's central bank, Sverigis Riksbank, has unveiled the finished artwork for its new series of banknotes. Nilsson will be worth 500 kronor from Oct. 2015 on. -
RESULTS: The International Opera Awards 2014 Are Announced, Posthumous Prize for Gerard Mortier
The venerable Opera magazine has announced the winners of its still-rather-new annual awards, the "Operas" (think Oscars but with more singing and a smaller budget). Since Opera has been the bible for international opera reviews for many decades, it's a nice idea and one that makes... -
Metropolitan Opera unveils 2014-'15 season: Verdi and 'Death of Klinghoffer' catch our eyes
The Metropolitan Opera has released its schedule for the 2014-'15 season, and there's something for everyone (we would argue more so than with recent seasons). The two headliners for the next season, which opens September 22 with Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, have to be conductor James Levine and composer Giuseppe Verdi, both of whom will make six "appearances." -
Gergiev, Nelsons, Gilbert or Alsop...Who is the World’s Busiest Conductor?
Some interesting statistics, yes, from the U.K.-based music website Bachtrack. Every year, they compile the stats from the events they have listed, and the list for 2013 has Valery Gergiev as the world's busiest conductor. Andris Nelsons comes second. -
Milli Vanilli and Wagner provide inspiration for experimental opera 'WOW'
The best part about contemporary opera is that it incorporates relatively modern events into the plot lines. Relatively modern, as several experimental individuals are looking to prove, includes notorious '90s pop icons Milli Vanilli. Did you say "wow"? What a funny coincidence. WOW is also the title of the opera. -
From the Met to Covent Garden, Even with Glitches, Live Opera Broadcasts Are Here to Stay
"There is this cultural kind of gladiatorial aspect to opera singing and opera singers because they are out there, they are singing into [hidden] microphones for the purpose of the audiences in movie theatres but they are not being amplified, they are on their own." -- Peter Gelb -
The Column: Royal Opera's New 'Parsifal' is a Radical and Truly Visionary Production
It may have divided opinion, but Classicalite's contributing editor was riveted by Covent Garden's big new production for Wagner's anniversary year. -
WATCH: Stephen Fry/Alan Davies at Royal Opera House's Deloitte Ignite Verdi/Wagner Festival
What does great art do to our bodies? In an exciting world first, The Science of Opera with Stephen Fry and Alan Davies saw a team of medical scientists from UCL discovering what happens inside us when we go to the opera. Opera lover Stephen Fry took his friend... -
REVIEW: Singers and Dancers Make Verdi's 'Sicilian Vespers' a Grand Debut at Royal Opera House
It took 158 years to get here, but Les Vêpres Siciliennes, one of the grandest of Verdi's operas, made its Royal Opera debut in London with a production that proved an ideal platform for soloists, ballerinas and choruses. -
DEADLINE: Wagner Society of Santa Fe Wants Your 'Ring' Sequel
Wagnerites, take heed. In celebration of both National Opera Week as well as the composer's ongoing 200th, the Wagner Society of Santa Fe is seeking sequels to Der Ring des Nibelungen--specifically, what happens to Alberich...
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