Opera Lively

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Exclusive Interviews

Thomas Hampson

Piotr Beczala

Juan Diego Flórez

Anna Netrebko

Matthew Polenzani

Paulo Szot

Leah Crocetto

Rene Barbera

Robert Ward, opera composer

Marilyn Taylor and Richard Ollarsaba

Eric Mitchko, NC Opera Director

James Allbritten, conductor and artistic director

Yegishe Manucharian

Dawn Pierce

Dina Kuznetsova

Vasily Ladyuk

James Meena, conductor and opera company director

Liam Bonner

Robynne Redmon

Richard Ollarsaba, 2nd. interview

Luca Pisaroni

Janine Hawley

Kristin Schwecke

Timothy McDevitt

Philippe Pierce

Jessica Cates

Nicole Rodin

Fernando Portari

Yunah Lee

Thaddeus Strassberger, stage director

Vivica Genaux

Joyce DiDonato

Martin Smolka, opera composer

Dr. Philip Gossett, opera scholar

Amanda Echalaz

Jana Sykorová

Elizabeth Caballero

Danielle de Niese

Anna Caterina Antonacci

Bryan Hymel

Frédéric Chaslin, conductor and opera composer

Sylvia Sass, soprano, librettist, and painter

Leon Botstein, conductor and music college president

Deborah Voigt

Marko Ivanovic, opera composer

Yvonne Fontane, mezzo and stage director

Anthony Roth Costanzo

Andriana Chuchman, Liam Bonner, Nathalie Paulin, Michele Angelini, Frédéric Gonçalves, and Jason Ferrante

Saimir Pirgu

François Roussillon

Erwin Schrott

Ildar Abdrazakov

Daniele Gatti

Sir John Eliot Gardiner

Michael Spyres

Jay Hunter Morris

Jill Gardner, Raúl Melo, and Todd Thomas

Elizabeth Bishop

Peter Volpe

Kyle Pfortmiller, Shawn Mattey, and Maria Aleida

Kevin Puts, opera composer

Magdalena Kozena

Giuseppe Filianoti

Lawrence Brownlee

Frederica von Stade

Diana Damrau

Maestro Marco Armiliato

Angela Brown, Leann Sandel-Pantaleo, stage director David Paul

Janinah Burnett, Chad Johnson, Mark Walkers

Markus Beam, Brian Banion, Leah Wool, Victor Ryan Robertson, Kevin Glavin

George Shirley, Hilda Harris, Martha Flowers, Leona Mitchell

Eva-Maria Westbroek

Yannick Nezet-Seguin

Jessica Pratt

Greer Grimsley

Lisette Oropesa

Mark Schubin, media engineer at the Met

George Benjamin, composer

Susan Graham

Barbara Hannigan

Melody Moore

Christian Räth, stage director

Ginger Costa-Jackson

Francesca Zambello

Ryan McKinny

Paul Appleby

Laurent Pelly

Tammy Coil (American premiere of Written on Skin)

Massimo Giordano

Jake Gardner, Cecelia Hall, Elizabeth de Trejo, and Tyler Nelson

Myron Michailidis

Sarah Connolly

Olga Peretyatko

Isabel Leonard

Noah Stewart

Joyce El-Khoury

Luretta Bybee and Elizabeth Kataria

Harry Bicket

Victor Ryan Robertson

Othalie Graham

Brenda Harris, Gordon Hawkins, Andrew Gagenstad, Brian Arreola, and Ola Rafalo

Jill Gardner, second interview

Christopher Purves

Sarah Jane McMahon

Massimo Cavalletti

Martin Crimp, playwright

Alyson Cambridge

Christopher Maltman

Eva-Maria Westbroek 2nd interview

Tim Mead

Brandon Jovanovich

Joelle Harvey

Rene Barbera 2nd Interview

Paul Appleby 2nd Interview

Katie Mitchell

Roberto Alagna

Elina Garanca

Ailyn Pérez

Nadja Michael

Peter Mattei

Layla Claire

Heidi Stober

Composer Mark Abel

Qian Yi

Composer Huang Ruo

Paulo Esper, director and producer

Luiz Fernando Malheiro, conductor

Scott Hendricks

Kate Lindsey

Laurent Naouri

Nadja Mchantaf

Stéphane Degout

Emmanuelle Haïm

Nicolas Mansfield

David Robert Coleman

Jürgen Flimm

Otto Katzameier

Stephen Costello

Bernard Foccroulle

Sandrine Piau

Sabine Devieilhe

Aleksandra Kurzak

Zeljko Lucic

Maestro Riccardo Muti

Salvatore Sciarrino, contemporary composer

Exclusive Articles

Opera In-Depth Project

La Traviata

The Genesis of the Opera

Around the Opera

The Characters and Their Voices

Musical Analysis

Discography

The Opera in the Opera House

Die Tote Stadt

The Genesis of the Opera

Around the opera

The Characters and their voices

Musical Analysis

Discography

The opera in the Opera House

Il Trovatore

Genesis of the Opera

Around the Opera

The Characters and Their Voices

Discography

The Opera in the Opera House

Eugene Onegin

Discography

Musical Analysis

Genesis of the Opera

Around the Opera

The Opera in the Opera House

The Characters and their Voices

Interviews with Maestro Meena and the Cast

Les Troyens

Genesis of the Opera

Around the Opera

Musical Structure

The Characters and Their Voices

Discography

The Opera in the Opera House

Les Troyens Libretto in English

Lulu

Brief Introduction

They are Lulu

Lulu on YouTube and libretti

Wedekind's play, and Lulu at the movies

Alban Berg and Lulu

Lulu: Discography

The Music of Lulu

Tosca

Tosca: The Genesis of the Opera

Tosca: The Characters and Their Voices

Synopsis and Musical Structure

Discography

Around the Opera

The Opera in the Opera House

Carmen

Genesis of the Opera

Around the Opera

Musical Structure

The Characters and Their Voices

Discography

The Opera in the Opera House

The Pearl Fishers

Singer In-Depth Project

Claudia Muzio

Rosa Ponselle

Fritz Wunderlich

Natalie Dessay

Sena Jurinac

Anita Cerquetti

Beyond the Standard Repertoire

Once or Twice A Fortnight

Once or Twice a Fortnight - Page 2

Once or Twice a Fortnight - Page 3

The Opera Lively Serial Novel Project - "Opera Deadly"

Loge's Hidden Operatic Gems

Other Articles

Opera News

In Print

New Seasons

Summer Festivals and Concerts

Broadcasts and Streaming

Other News

The Local Area

United States

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California

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New York

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Pennsylvania

Washington D.C.

Spain

United Kingdom

Brazil

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Recent Articles

New Book by Opera Lively Press - the Eugene Onegin guidebook

Opera Lively Press in conjunction with CreateSpace has published on April 3, 2018, the third book of our opera guides series, on Tchaikovsky's masterspiece Eugene Onegin.

It is difficult to appreciate in the 21^st century how much of a novelty was Onegin, when it premiered in Moscow. Back in 1879, most of Russian and Slavic opera was devoted to political topics (A life for the Tsar, Boris Godunov, Khovanschina…), fairy tales (Ruslan and Ludmila, Rusalka, May Night…) or even biblical adaptations like Serov’s Judith. However, Onegin was centered on the life and passions of standard human beings.

Onegin is a Romantic opera. It is also full of melody. There are no formal experiments here. It was the perfect daughter of her times. Of course, with such a skillful instrumental music composer for the orchestra as Tchaikovsky, we can find many fine details in the orchestration, as well as some motif building. But the prominent role is never in the pit: it’s in the voices of the singers.

This Opera Lively guidebook will walk the reader through the opera’s libretto (with a new translation), musical structure (in terms that can be understood by all), circumstance of composition, trivia, and wil provide CD and DVD reviews, comments on live performances, and interviews with singers and a conductor. Enjoy!

Available now on Amazon.com (and various international Amazon sites for the Kindle e-book): click [here] for the paperback and [here] for the Kindle edition.... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) April 5th, 2018, 01:00 PM

The Second Opera Lively Exclusive Interview with Luca Pisaroni

We met the excellent bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni on the occasion of his March 22, 2018 recital of Italian and American art songs with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, at the Kimmel Center. A review of this show and the program can be found by clicking [here]. We talked about his choice of songs and he gave us a brief update on how his career is progressing, after his first interview with us six years ago.
... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) April 3rd, 2018, 11:01 AM

The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with the great composer Salvatore Sciarrino

After our spectacular interview with Maestro Riccardo Muti, we are now publishing the words of another giant of Italian music, Salvatore Sciarrino, the most important living Italian composer. Mr. Sciarrino is delightful and possesses great erudition. He speaks in a very literary manner, and likely would have produced even more sophisticated words, but since the interview was conducted in Italian, Mr. Sciarrino said he tried to "keep it simple" so that the translation would be easier. Well, it wasn't simple... His answers are deep and meaningful. We believe this is one of the best interviews we ever published on Opera Lively.... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) March 28th, 2018, 06:45 PM

Coverage Portal - Summer of 2018 - Opera Houses in German-speaking Areas

Two Opera Lively journalists - James Weber and Luiz Gazzola - will cover numerous operas and will interview artists and administrators in several opera companies located in German-speaking areas of Central Europe (and one in Slovakia) this Summer 2018. Like we did for the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence and for a previous trip to Berlin in 2016, we are publishing a portal that will centralize the links to the various performance reviews, interviews, pictorial travel blogs, and brief hotel and restaurant recommendations, which will be helpful to our readers if they also travel to these areas in the future.... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) February 24th, 2018, 04:34 PM

The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Maestro Riccardo Muti

Dear readers, prepare to get more closely acquainted with perhaps the most important artist ever interviewed by Opera Lively, the great Riccardo Muti, arguably the best opera conductor in the world. It is fitting that Maestro Muti is our 250th interviewee, given that such a round number seems to beg for a very special one. While we had some epic interviews with many of the leading singers, composers, conductors, administrators, and stage directors in the business (consult the widget on the top left corner of our Home page and click on Exclusive Interviews for the full list), it is hard to top Maestro Muti's passion, erudition, depth of knowledge, and wealth of information that he is willing to share with us, from his memories of his prestigious career that spans more than half a century. His words are really fascinating and informative. If there is an interview that truly deserves the "must read" label, this is the one.... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) February 16th, 2018, 11:16 PM

Interview with Leyla Martinucci - Maddalena in Rigoletto at Opera Carolina

Opera Lively has attended and reviewed an extraordinary performance of Rigoletto at Opera Carolina in Charlotte, NC, USA. It's a must-see show; there are two more opportunities to see it on February 15 and 17, 2018; find a link to tickets on the press release page by clicking [here]. Read our review of the opening night [here], which includes many production pictures. Prior to the show we interviewed the three principal singers in the title role and the roles of Gilda and the Duke [read them (here)]. Upon attending the show in person, we were pleasantly surprised with the singer who did Maddalena, the charming and beautiful Italian mezzo-soprano Leyla Martinucci, who sang very well her part, including, being very audible during the famous quartet, which is not always the case in other renditions of this opera we've heard in person or in recordings. After the show when we went to meet the artists, we asked Leyla to also grant us an interview. She kindly accepted, resulting in this piece below. Enjoy!... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) February 13th, 2018, 11:45 PM

Contemporary chamber opera Family Secrets at North Carolina Opera

The contemporary Chamber Opera Family Secrets: Kith and Kin will have its staged world premiere in Raleigh, NC, on February 15-16, 2018 at 7:30 PM, in a production by North Carolina Opera. This is a very interesting show. Keep reading for more information.... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) January 31st, 2018, 12:53 AM

The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Zeljko Lucic

[First of all, we have not included the diacritic marks in the title of this article because they cause problems with the URL links in our software; the correct spelling of the artist's name is Željko Lučić]

Opera Lively met the excellent baritone Željko Lučić in his dressing room backstage at the Metropolitan Opera House on January 23, 2018 for a pleasant chat about Tosca, which we later continued by email, resulting in this interesting dialogue-like interview you are about to read. The singer had just delivered another fabulous performance of the role of Scarpia, in the gorgeous Sir David McVicar new production that we attended in person and reviewed recently (read our review by clicking [here]), which was, four days later, shown worldwide on Met Live in HD, to universal acclaim.
... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) January 28th, 2018, 09:45 PM

Our Second Exclusive Mini-Interview with Roberto Alagna

In 2015 Opera Lively extensively interviewed the great tenor Roberto Alagna, in one of our most interesting pieces to date. That must-read article can be consulted by clicking [here]. On January 25, 2018, we had the pleasure of meeting the singer again, backstage at the Met in his dressing room, after his extraordinary performances of Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, and Canio in Pagliacci. Our review of the show can be read [here], with many production pictures.

Roberto was extremely kind to Opera Lively, agreeing with a mini-interview of about ten questions and some follow-up dialogue, in spite of the fatigue of two strenuous roles back-to-back, and a very long line of fans who were eager to get an autograph and a selfie with the artist. We voluntarily kept the interview short because it was past midnight, but Roberto gave us no sign that he wanted to rush it through, and most likely would have answered more questions if we had asked them.
... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) January 28th, 2018, 03:28 PM

The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Aleksandra Kurzak

Opera Lively met the adorable and intelligent soprano Aleksandra Kurzak at the Press Lounge of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for a lovely interview, on the occasion of her performance as Nedda in Pagliacci. Aleksandra is outspoken and a straight shooter, unafraid of courageously spelling out her ideas. This Poland-born singer is notable for being fast-thinking and for expressing herself very well in English, a language that is foreign to her. She is very self-confident and charming, and one can understand why her husband Roberto Alagna spoke so highly of her during his extraordinary interview with us (read it by clicking [here]). Also see our review of Aleksandra's Pagliacci by clicking [here]. Read Aleksandra's interesting answers to Opera Lively's questions, below. You'll see how she comes across as very genuine.
... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) January 25th, 2018, 02:02 PM

Press Release for Opera Carolina's Rigoletto in February 2018

... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) January 14th, 2018, 06:32 PM

Rigoletto at Opera Carolina - Interviews with the Artists

As usual, we are starting our coverage of our beloved partner company Opera Carolina's winter opera, which this season will be Verdi's spectacular Rigoletto on February 11, 15, and 17, 2018. See the Press Release by clicking [here], where you will find links to tickets and other information about the show.

Opera Lively will attend and review the show. We interviewed the artists who are singing the three leading roles.
... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) January 11th, 2018, 02:40 AM

The Barber of Seville at Greensboro Opera - Interviews with the Artists

Our partner company Greensboro Opera has been putting together some very compelling shows ever since the company's rebirth under the leadership of Artistic Director David Holley. This time, the company will be presenting Rossini's The Barber of Seville with a very good cast. We at Opera Lively know some of the singers already from other productions and can vouch for their quality, and the ones until unknown to us look great when we look at their artistic biographies and video clips. It's always great to see a well-sung production of this beloved opera, so, dear readers, don't miss it! There will be two performances: on January 12 at 7:30 PM, and January 14 at 2 PM, at the UNCG Auditorium, 408 Tate Street, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Click [here] for tickets, and [here] to know more about the cast. Opera Lively is interviewing the singers; see below. THE REVIEW OF THE SHOW IS NOW IN. CLICK [HERE]
... read more
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva) January 1st, 2018, 11:37 PM

OPERA LIVELY
New Book by Opera Lively Press - the Eugene Onegin guidebook
by
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on April 5th, 2018 01:00 PM
Opera Lively Press in conjunction with CreateSpace has published on April 3, 2018, the third book of our opera guides series, on Tchaikovsky's masterspiece Eugene Onegin.

It is difficult to appreciate in the 21^st century how much of a novelty was Onegin, when it premiered in Moscow. Back in 1879, most of Russian and Slavic opera was devoted to political topics (A life for the Tsar, Boris Godunov, Khovanschina…), fairy tales (Ruslan and Ludmila, Rusalka, May Night…) or even biblical adaptations like Serov’s Judith. However, Onegin was centered on the life and passions of standard human beings.

Onegin is a Romantic opera. It is also full of melody. There are no formal experiments here. It was the perfect daughter of her times. Of course, with such a skillful instrumental music composer for the orchestra as Tchaikovsky, we can find many fine details in the orchestration, as well as some motif building. But the prominent role is never in the pit: it’s in the voices of the singers.

This Opera Lively guidebook will walk the reader through the opera’s libretto (with a new translation), musical structure (in terms that can be understood by all), circumstance of composition, trivia, and wil provide CD and DVD reviews, comments on live performances, and interviews with singers and a conductor. Enjoy!

Available now on Amazon.com (and various international Amazon sites for the Kindle e-book): click [here] for the paperback and [here] for the Kindle edition. ...

Read More
The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Maestro Riccardo Muti

by
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on February 16th, 2018 11:16 PM

Dear readers, prepare to get more closely acquainted with perhaps the most important artist ever interviewed by Opera Lively, the great Riccardo Muti, arguably the best opera conductor in the world. It is fitting that Maestro Muti is our 250th interviewee, given that such a round number seems to beg for a very special one. While we had some epic interviews with many of the leading singers, composers, conductors, administrators, and stage directors in the business (consult the widget on the top left corner of our Home page and click on Exclusive Interviews for the full list), it is hard to top Maestro Muti's passion, erudition, depth of knowledge, and wealth of information that he is willing to share with us, from his memories of his prestigious career that spans more than half a century. His words are really fascinating and informative. If there is an interview that truly deserves the "must read" label, this is the one. ...

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Our Second Exclusive Mini-Interview with Roberto Alagna

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on January 28th, 2018 03:28 PM

In 2015 Opera Lively extensively interviewed the great tenor Roberto Alagna, in one of our most interesting pieces to date. That must-read article can be consulted by clicking [here]. On January 25, 2018, we had the pleasure of meeting the singer again, backstage at the Met in his dressing room, after his extraordinary performances of Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, and Canio in Pagliacci. Our review of the show can be read [here], with many production pictures.

Roberto was extremely kind to Opera Lively, agreeing with a mini-interview of about ten questions and some follow-up dialogue, in spite of the fatigue of two strenuous roles back-to-back, and a very long line of fans who were eager to get an autograph and a selfie with the artist. We voluntarily kept the interview short because it was past midnight, but Roberto gave us no sign that he wanted to rush it through, and most likely would have answered more questions if we had asked them.
...

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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with the great composer Salvatore Sciarrino

by
Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on March 28th, 2018 06:45 PM

After our spectacular interview with Maestro Riccardo Muti, we are now publishing the words of another giant of Italian music, Salvatore Sciarrino, the most important living Italian composer. Mr. Sciarrino is delightful and possesses great erudition. He speaks in a very literary manner, and likely would have produced even more sophisticated words, but since the interview was conducted in Italian, Mr. Sciarrino said he tried to "keep it simple" so that the translation would be easier. Well, it wasn't simple... His answers are deep and meaningful. We believe this is one of the best interviews we ever published on Opera Lively. ...

Read More
The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Sandrine Piau

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on December 10th, 2017 04:12 PM

This interview with the great French singer Sandrine Piau is being published very late for no fault of the artist, and we apologize for it. But even if it is no longer timely, it is still very interesting given Ms. Piau's intelligence and profound insights regarding the character Despina in Così fan tutte, which in the summer of 2016 she was singing for the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. This piece is therefore to be situated in our extensive coverage of that edition of the festival. We made a portal where we listed links to all the articles we published about Aix, and our readers can consult the other numerous interviews and reviews by clicking [here]. ...

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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Otto Katzameier

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on November 30th, 2017 12:35 AM

The interview you are about to read was very pleasant, and turned into a lively dialogue between two people who love opera, and one who doesn't only love it with a passion, but also performs it to the highest level of quality. Opera Lively was in Berlin visiting the Staatsoper and the Komische Oper, and James Weber and Luiz Gazzola, our two envoys, had the pleasure of chatting for over one hour with one of the best bass-baritones in the world specializing in contemporary music, the great Otto Katzameier. For various reasons unrelated to the artist, it took us a long time to transcribe and publish this piece, and we apologize to the artist. But it's never too late to catch up, especially given that his answers were so compelling. We believe that this interview is essential, for what it does for the understanding of the importance of contemporary opera. Luiz is a big fan of the subgenre, and Jim is not (or not yet, Luiz hopes), which brought about some interesting dynamics to the dialogue. Enjoy! ...

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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Jürgen Flimm

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on November 23rd, 2017 07:13 PM

We are honored to have interviewed in person one of the most prominent figures in all of opera, the prestigious stage director and opera company/festival administrator Jürgen Flimm, who was the artistic director of the Salzburg Festival and the Intendant, among others, of the Berlin Staatsoper (which I would call one of the top five opera companies in the world). He just recently (in April 2018) passed the baton to his successor at the Berlin Staatsoper, Matthias Schulz. At the time, when we talked with him, he still held the position. We chatted about his production of Salvatore Sciarrino's contemporary opera Luci Mie Traditrice. This interview, then, is another one in this cycle (we also interviewed the two lead singers and the conductor for this performance). Unfortunately for various reasons that have nothing to do with the artist, there was a delay in transcribing and publishing this piece, for which we apologize. ...

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Exclusive Interview with David Robert Coleman, conductor and composer

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on November 22nd, 2017 05:02 PM

For various reasons for which the artist is not responsible (in other words, it's our fault) we neglected to transcribe and publish this important and interesting interview with maestro David Robert Coleman, done in person at the Berlin Staatsoper in the summer of 2016 on the occasion of our coverage of the company's new production of Salvatore Sciarrino's gorgeous contemporary opera Luci Mie Traditrice, which Mr. Coleman conducted. We apologize to the maestro and we are catching up now, and it is a treat because his answers are very interesting. Of course lovers of contemporary music will be ecstatic (Mr. Coleman is also a composer), given that he addresses not only this opera, but also the field in general. I would think that other opera aficionados will enjoy this interview as well, to get his view on issues such as the public's reception to contemporary works. ...

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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Stéphane Degout

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on October 9th, 2016 06:35 PM

Our rendition of the great interviews we collected this past summer in Aix-en-Provence continues. We apologize for the slow pace: this one, since it was conducted in French, needed to be transcribed in French, submitted to the artist, then translated into English, but the wait was worth it, because the excellent baritone Stéphane Degout who sung a superb Pelléas has very interesting insights about the symbolic aspects of the opera. Stéphane is a great singer with very acclaimed performances in the best European houses and although more rarely, he's been to this side of the pond as well, performing the same role (and three others) at the Metropolitan Opera House, and he was also seen at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
...

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Exclusive In-Person Interview with Juan Diego Flórez

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on May 22nd, 2014 02:29 PM

[Opera Lively interview # 132] Opera Lively was honored to present to our readers a short interview with the outstanding tenor Juan Diego Flórez the day we launched our website. A couple of years later and after Opera Lively's growth including 131 exclusive interviews with prominent artists, it was our pleasure to address Mr. Flórez again, this time for a long in-person interview at the Met in early May on the occasion of his performance of Prince Ramiro in La Cenerentola. Below you will find the transcript of this piece. We again thank Mr. Flórez for his support of Opera Lively and his time.
...

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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Laurent Naouri

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Published on August 28th, 2016 08:18 PM

Continuing our publication of the interviews and reviews that resulted from our in-person coverage of the latest Festival d'Aix-en-Provence [see the portal which contains links to all articles by clicking (here)], today we are bringing to our members and readers a very interesting interview with the intelligent French bass-baritone Laurent Naouri, who sang a perfect Golaud in the gorgeous Katie Mitchell production of Pelléas et Mélisande (a full review of the show and other related interviews are also available in the portal above). Laurent's long and prestigious career boasts great roles and fantastic discography. The artist commands incredibly good English and possesses an engaging personality. Talking with him in person was a pleasure. Enjoy!
...

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Our second exclusive interview with Barbara Hannigan

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on August 10th, 2016 01:50 AM

Barbara Hannigan in our opinion is simply the best interpreter of contemporary music in activity (an opinion we share with Sir Simon Rattle) - and she certainly holds her own in the Baroque and Classical repertories as well, not to forget that she is now a well-regarded conductor too. After the spectacular and deep interview that this hugely intelligent and multi-talented artist gave us on the occasion of her creation of the role of Agnès for George Benjamin's masterpiece Written on Skin, we had the pleasure of meeting her again in person at the 2016 Festival d'Aix-en-Provence in Southern France, when she sang the female title role in Pelléas et Mélisande, in arguably the best production of this opera in modern times. We had a very relaxed and informal talk in a sidewalk café in the beautiful town of Aix, discussing several psychological nuances in this opera, and a number of other topics.
...

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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Kate Lindsey

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on August 3rd, 2016 11:41 PM

Opera Lively attended in person the fabulous Festival d'Aix-en-Provence in Southern France, in the summer of 2016. We interviewed the talented and intelligent artist Kate Lindsey who sang the role of Dorabella in Christophe Honoré's daring production of Mozart's Così fan tutte. Kate's answers are very interesting!

Our Aix-en-Provence coverage contains several interviews, articles, and reviews (including our take on this Così). We gathered all the links on a portal that can be consulted by clicking [here]. ...

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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Peter Mattei

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on April 21st, 2015 12:13 AM

Opera Lively's interview # 163 is with the great Swedish baritone Peter Mattei. His unconventional and insightful answers are very entertaining. The interview was done in person at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City on February 11, 2015, on the occasion of his performance of the title role in Don Giovanni.
...

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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Roberto Alagna

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on February 19th, 2015 06:05 AM

Photo © Jean-Baptiste Millot - Interview © Opera Lively

Opera Lively has interviewed Roberto Alagna, and it is one of our best interviews to date. This is the Opera Lively interview #159, and now both the French original and the English translation are available. Our French-speaking readers can benefit from this delightful and revealing piece by clicking [here] to see the French version. Scroll down or click on Read More below for the the English version.
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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Elina Garanca

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on March 27th, 2015 07:30 PM

Opera Lively interview # 160 is with the outstanding Latvian mezzo Elīna Garanča. She is a fierce, proud, and intelligent artist. Her answers are extremely interesting and it is a great honor that a singer who is seen by many of our members as the best mezzo in her generation has granted us this interview. Two Opera Lively journalists met her in person on February 10, 2015, at the Metropolitan Opera Press Lounge, on the occasion of her Carmen with Roberto Alagna (who was also interviewed by us). We found that Elīna is a fascinating person, in addition to being a great artist.
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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Isabel Leonard

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on May 29th, 2014 12:25 AM

[Opera Lively interview # 131] On the occasion of her performance of Dorabella for the Metropolitan Opera's Così fan tutte in early May 2014 (see our review [here]), Opera Lively met in person the great American singer Isabel Leonard, for this interesting interview. We were particularly impressed with Isabel for her intelligence, friendliness, and solid demeanor. She is direct, straightforward, articulate, genuine, and strikes us as a very good and hardworking person. Given her beautiful voice, fabulous looks, and accomplished acting, this young lady certainly deserves the success her career has achieved. Our already significant admiration for her artistry grew even deeper after her charming interview, which we are pleased to share with our readers.
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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Christopher Maltman

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on February 1st, 2015 06:44 AM

This is Opera Lively interview # 149, with the famous British baritone Christopher Maltman. The interview was conducted in person on November 19, 2014, at the Metropolitan Opera House Press Lounge.

--------------

Singer: Christopher Maltman
Fach: Baritone
Born in: Lincolnshire, England
Recently in: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro) Metropolitan Opera, New York City
Next in: Pélleas et Mélisande (Golaud) Stockholm, 6-8 March, 2015; same in Cologne, 13 March
Website: http://christophermaltman.moonfruit.com/#
Management: http://www.askonasholt.co.uk/artists...topher-maltman ...

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The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Diana Damrau

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Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)

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Published on May 3rd, 2013 06:45 PM

[Opera Lively interview # 99] Opera Lively met Ms. Damrau in person in New York City in late March during ...

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Coverage Portal - Berlin Opera Companies in the Summer of 2016

In the Summer of 2016 Opera Lively sent to Berlin two envoys, journalist James Weber and chief editor Luiz Gazzola, to interview artists and review operas presented by the Berlin Staatsoper and the Komische Oper Berlin, and to review operas by the Deutsche Oper Berlin. To facilitate navigation between the various reviews and interviews, we created this coverage portal with links to each piece.

Our coverage contains five ...

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Sound clips here.

Florestan Yesterday, 11:52 AM

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Worked through it again over the weekend. Still two disks of Twilight of the Gods to go.
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I have been listening to some Verdi

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Pictures of the beautiful Charlotte uptown area

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