Archive | December, 2010
Sibelius for the Solstice?
The Christmas holiday has it’s famous music: Handel’s Messiah, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, to name a few. But what about the Winter Solstice? This landmark of seasons feels like one of the most potent, the shortest day of the year heralding our gradual climb toward spring, it marks the beginning of the journey from darkness to light. [...]
Continue reading...20 (PLUS) QUESTIONS WITH…Baritone Nathan Gunn
14. December 2010
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Photo Credit: Mike Sharkey Nathan Gunn is a man of many talents and passions, as his responses to our “20 Questions” reveal. His compelling stage presence and musical versatility have given him star billing in a plethora of operas around the world, ranging from contemporary and 20th-century works to Mozart’s masterpieces (from December 21 through [...]
Continue reading...Music’s Great Wild West
14. December 2010
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Here in New York we’re celebrating the centenary of one of opera’s more unique works, Puccini’s “Fanciulla del West” or in English, The Girl of the Golden West. Premiered on December 10, 1910 as the first world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera, Puccini’s “American Opera” was arguably one of the most important and high-profile works [...]
Continue reading...An Instant Cure for Holiday-Induced Stress
6. December 2010
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No matter how high the stress level gets for me during the holiday season, there’s one piece of music that never fails to restore my sanity, if not my faith in humanity: the “Christmas Concerto” of the Italian Baroque composer Archangelo Corelli (1653-1713). Some of my favorite holiday memories are tied to this piece music. [...]
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21. December 2010
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