Christmas in Vienna 2016: the complete concert, produced and broadcast by the ORF. Soloists: Angela Denoke (soprano), Vesselina Kasarova (soprano), Noah Stewart (tenor), Günter Haumer (baritone). Wiener Sängerknaben (Vienna Boys’ Choir), Wiener Singakademie (chorus of Vienna Singing Academy) and ORF Radio Symphonie Orchester Wien (ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna). Conductor: Erwin Ortner.
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Category Archives: Opera
Katarina Witt in Carmen On Ice (Habanera)
Twice Olympic gold medalist German figure skater Katarina Witt’s exceptional performance with Habanera in Carmen on Ice, a 1990 dance film with a choreography for figure skaters made in Germany. The music of the film is based on Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen, in an orchestral version arranged especially for this film.
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Di Quella Pira and Anvil Chorus (Flashmob)
A beautiful flashmob: the members of Opera Națională Română Cluj-Napoca (Romanian National Opera Cluj-Napoca) in the co-production of the Hungarian Opera of Cluj enter a shopping mall, and sing publicly “Di Quella Pira”, a popular tenor aria (or more specifically cabaletta) sung by Manrico in Act 3, Scene 2 of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera in four acts, “Il Trovatore”. Soloist: Héctor López Mandoza, the Mexican tenor. The chorus then performs Anvil Chorus, the English term for the Coro di zingari (Italian Gypsy chorus), a piece of music from Act 2, Scene 1 of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore (The Troubador, 1853) which depicts Spanish Gypsies striking their anvils at dawn -hence its English name- and singing the praises of hard work, good wine, and their Gypsy women.
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Gregory Kunde sings Nessun Dorma
American operatic tenor Gregory Kunde (born on February 24, 1954) has been singing for decades at not only a high level but also high tessitura. Having conquered the high F (above tenor high C), he now is conquering the
Fleming and Domingo perform Love Duet from Act I of Verdi’s Otello
American opera singer and soprano Renée Fleming and the legendary Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo perform Love Duet from Act I of Otello, a 1887 opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by the Italian poet, journalist, novelist, librettist and composer Arrigo Boito (24 February 1842 – 10 June 1918), based on William Shakespeare’s play Othello (believed to have been written in 1603). The video below is from a 1995 Metropolitan Opera production.
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Sutherland, Jones, Pavarotti and Nucci perform Bella figlia dell’amore (Verdi)
Australian dramatic coloratura soprano Joan Sutherland, American mezzo-soprano Isola Jones, the legendary Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti and the Italian operatic baritone Leo Nucci perform “Bella figlia dell’amore” (English: Beautiful daughter of love), a vocal quartet from act 3 (No. 18) of Rigoletto, a 1851 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto of the opera was written by Francesco Maria Piave (18 May 1810 – 5 March 1876), the Italian opera librettist, based on the play Le roi s’amuse by Victor Hugo.
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Jonas Kaufmann sings Nessun Dorma
Accompanied by the Orchestra Santa Cecilia, German operatic tenor Jonas Kaufmann performs Nessun Dorma from Turandot, an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, completed by Franco Alfano, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Conductor: Antonio Pappano. Taken at the recording session of “Nessun Dorma – The Puccini Album”. Jonas Kaufmann dedicates his new album to the most popular Italian opera composer of all time, Giacomo Puccini. This brand new recording features one of the most famous and loved arias of all time, ‘Nessun Dorma’, alongside stunning pieces from Manon Lescaut, La Boheme, Tosca and more.
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Plácido Domingo sings E lucevan le stelle (Tosca)
Famous Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo sings “E lucevan le stelle”, a romantic aria from the third act of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Tosca, composed in 1900 to an Italian libretto by the Italian librettists Luigi Illica (9 May 1857 – 16 December 1919) and Giuseppe Giacosa (21 October 1847 – 1 September 1906). This is from a 1992 production in which Tosca was performed in the actual Roman settings described in the libretto. Moreover, the scenes take place at the appropriate times of day. Rome, June 1800.. The orchestra (Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma) was a few miles away. Conductor: Zubin Mehta.
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Mozart – Lucio Silla, Overture
Filarmonica ‘900 del Teatro Regio di Torino performs the overture of Lucio Silla, K. 135, an Italian opera in three acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was written by Giovanni de Gamerra (26 December 1742 – 29 August 1803), the Italian cleric, playwright, and poet. Concert master and first violinist: Stefano Vagnarelli. Recorded live on March 24, 2014 at Teatro Regio di Torino.
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Handel – Ombra mai fu (Serse) – Christopher Lowrey (countertenor), Voices of Music
American countertenor Christopher Lowrey and San Fransisco based early music ensemble Voices of Music perform “Ombra mai fu”, the opening aria from the 1738 opera Serse by George Frideric Handel. A 4K, Ultra HD video from the Voices of Music “Art of the Countertenor” concert, March, 2016.
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