Happy Birthday: Anna Netrebko

"Les belles fleures...Quand j'aurai votre âge"
Benvenuto Cellini (Berlioz)

"Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (Russian: Анна Юрьевна Нетребко; born September 18, 1971) is an operatic soprano. She now holds dual Russian and Austrian citizenship and currently resides in Vienna. She has been nicknamed 'La Bellissima' by fans. Netrebko was born in Krasnodar (Russia), in a family of Kuban Cossack background. While a student at the Saint Petersburg conservatoire, Netrebko worked as a janitor at Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre. Later, she auditioned for the Mariinsky Theatre, where conductor Valery Gergiev recognized her from her prior work in the theater. He

"D'Oreste, d'Ajace" Idomeneo (Mozart)

subsequently became her vocal mentor. Under Gergiev's guidance, Netrebko made her operatic stage debut at the Mariinsky at age 22, as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. She went on to sing many prominent roles with the Kirov Opera, including Amina in La Sonnambula, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor. In 1994, she sang the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte with the Riga Independent Opera Avangarda Akadēmija under conductor David Milnes. In March 2006, Netrebko applied to become an Austrian citizen, receiving her citizenship in late July. According to an interview in the Austrian weekly news, she will live in Vienna and Salzburg. This has led to some backlash in Russia. Netrebko cites the cumbersome and humiliating process of obtaining visas (as a Russian citizen) for her many performances abroad as the main reason for obtaining Austrian citizenship. In

"O ne rydai, mai Paolo"
Francesca da Rimini (Rachmaninov)

March 2007, Netrebko announced that she would be an ambassador for SOS Children's Village in Austria, and be a sponsor for the Tomilino village in Russia. In April 2008, Netrebko announced that she and her fiancé, Uruguayan baritone Erwin Schrott, had married. Their son Tiago Aruã Schrott was born on September 5, 2008 in Vienna. In July 2011, she talked of opening a restaurant. In 1995, at the age of 24, Netrebko made her American debut as Lyudmila in Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila at the San Francisco Opera. Following this successful performance, she became a frequent guest singer in San Francisco. She is known as an acclaimed interpreter of other Russian operatic roles, such as Natasha in Prokofiev's War and Peace, Louisa in Betrothal in a Monastery and Marfa in The Tsar's Bride. Netrebko has also made successful forays into bel canto and romantic roles such as Gilda in Rigoletto, Mimi in La bohème, Giulietta in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi, and Elvira in I Puritani. In 2002,

"Si, mi chiamano Mimì"
La Bohème (Puccini)

Netrebko made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Natasha in the Met premiere of War and Peace. In the same year, she sang her first Donna Anna at the Salzburg Festival's production of Don Giovanni, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. She also performed at the Russian Children's Welfare Society's major fund raiser, the 'Petroushka Ball.' She returned to the Ball in 2003 and 2006 and is an honorary director of the charity. In 2003, Netrebko performed as Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata in Munich, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Los Angeles Opera, and Donna Anna at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Her second album, Sempre Libera, was released the following year. She later appeared as Violetta Valéry in La Traviata at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Carlo Rizzi and in 2008 she performed the same role at Covent Garden to triumphant acclaim on the opening night, opposite Jonas Kaufmann and Dmitri Hvorostovsky in performances conducted by Maurizio Benini. However, she

"Depuis le jour" Louise (Charpentier)

cancelled three subsequent performances due to suffering a bronchial condition. This was the second time she had cancelled her performances at the Royal Opera House, having withdrawn from some performances of Don Giovanni the previous summer due to illness. On May 30, 2007, Netrebko made her Carnegie Hall debut with Dmitri Hvorostovsky and the Orchestra of St. Luke's. Originally scheduled for March 2, 2006 Netrebko postponed the recital because she did not feel artistically ready. Netrebko appeared at the Last Night of the Proms on 8 September 2007 where she performed 'Ah! Se una volta ... Ah! Non credea mirarti ... Ah! Non giunge' from La Sonnambula, 'Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß' (Giuditta) and the song 'Morgen!' by Richard Strauss (with violinist Joshua Bell). In the fall of 2007 she reprised her role as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette at the Metropolitan Opera. In

"Quel guardo il cavaliere"
Don Pasquale (Donizetti)

December 2007, Netrebko performed for Martin Scorsese, a 2007 Honoree, at the Kennedy Center Honors, and in May 2008 she made a much-awaited debut at the Paris Opera in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, with Joyce DiDonato as her Romeo. Netrebko was scheduled to sing Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor in October 2008 at the Metropolitan Opera, but due to her pregnancy she decided to drop out of the role. In her first performance after her maternity leave, Netrebko sang Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor when it opened at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg on January 14, 2009 in a production from the Scottish Opera led by John Doyle. She then sang the same role in January and February 2009 at the Metropolitan Opera. Netrebko appeared as Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi at the Royal Opera House in Spring 2009, and as Violetta in La Traviata in June 2009 at the San Francisco Opera. On November 13, 2010 in a matinee performance broadcast nationally by PBS, she sang the role of

"Solveig's Song" Peer Gynt (Grieg)

Norina in Don Pasquale at New York's Metropolitan Opera House under conductor James Levine. On April 2, 2011, she sang the title role of Gaetano Donizetti's Anna Bolena at the Vienna State Opera for a sold-out premiere there, and the repeat performance on April 5, 2011 was broadcast live to cinemas around the world. In the fall of 2011, she will sing the title role of Anna Bolena at the Metropolitan Opera and make her Carnegie Hall recital debut. Time magazine placed her on its Time 100 list in 2007. She was identified by the journal Musical America as 'a genuine superstar for the 21st century' and was named 'Musician of the Year' for 2008. She has also been described by Associated Press as 'the reigning new diva of the 21st century.' She was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation (2004) and was made a People's Artist of Russia by President Putin in 2008. Playboy magazine placed her in their 'sexiest babes of classical music' list. Netrebko has also won two prestigious Classical BRIT Awards: the 2007 Singer of the Year Award and the 2008 Female of the Year." [Source]

"Casta diva" Norma (Bellini)

"Pie Jesu" Requiem (Lloyd Webber)

"Ave Maria" Otello (Verdi)

"Oh! Quante volte" I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Bellini)
"Inflammatus et accensus" Stabat Mater (Rossini)

Happy Birthday: Jessye Norman

"D'ici, je vois la mer immense"
L'Africaine (Meyerbeer)

"Jessye Mae Norman was born on September 15, 1945 in Augusta, Georgia to Silas Norman, an insurance salesman, and Janie King-Norman, a school teacher. She was one of five children in a family of amateur musicians; her mother and grandmother were both pianists, her father a singer in a local choir. Norman's mother insisted that she start piano lessons at an early age. Norman attended Charles T. Walker Elementary School, A.R. Johnson Junior High School, and Lucy C. Laney Senior High School, all in downtown Augusta. Norman proved to be a talented singer as a young child, singing gospel songs at Mount Calvary Baptist Church at the age of four. At the age of nine, Norman heard opera for the first time on the radio and was immediately an opera fan. She started listening to recordings of Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price whom Norman credits as being inspiring figures in her career. At the age of 16, Norman entered the Marian Anderson Vocal Competition in Philadelphia which,

"E Susanna non vien!...Dove sono"
Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart)

although she did not win, led to her being offered a full scholarship to Howard University, in Washington, D.C. While at Howard, Norman sang in the university chorus and as a professional soloist at the Lincoln Temple United Church of Christ, while studying voice with Carolyn Grant. In 1965, along with 32 other female students and 4 female faculty, she became a founding member of the Delta Nu Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota. In 1966, she won the National Society of Arts and Letters singing competition. After graduating in 1967 with a degree in music, she began graduate-level studies at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and later at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from which she earned a Masters Degree in 1968. During this time Norman studied voice with Elizabeth Mannion and Pierre Bernac. After graduating, Norman, like many young musicians at the time, moved to Europe to establish

"Dich teure halle" Tannhäuser (Wagner)

herself. In 1969 she won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich and landed a three-year contract with the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She made her operatic début that same year as Elisabeth in Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Critics at the time described Norman as having 'the greatest voice since the German soprano Lotte Lehmann.' In subsequent years Norman performed with various German and Italian opera companies appearing often as princesses or other noble figures. Norman was exceptional at portraying a commanding and noble bearing. This ability was partly due to her uncommon height and size, but more so as a result of her unique, rich, and powerful voice. Norman's range was uncommonly wide, encompassing all female voice

"Ah, je vais mourir"
Les Troyens (Berlioz)

registers from contralto to high dramatic soprano. In 1970 she made her Italian début in Florence in Handel's Deborah. In 1971, Norman made her début at the Maggio Musicale in Florence appearing as Sélica in Meyerbeer's L'Africaine. That year she also sang the role of Countess Almaviva in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro at the Berlin Festival and recorded the role that same year with the BBC Orchestra under the direction of Colin Davis. The recording was a finalist for the Montreux International Record Award competition and brought Norman much exposure to music listeners in Europe and the United States. In 1972, Norman debuted at La Scala, where she sang the title role in Verdi's Aida and at London's Royal Opera at Covent Garden, where she sang the role of Cassandra in

"Es gibt ein Reich"
Ariadne auf Naxos (Strauss)

Berlioz's Les Troyens. Norman appeared as Aida again in a concert version that same year in her first well-publicized American performance at the Hollywood Bowl. This was followed by an all-Wagner concert at the Tanglewood Festival in Lenox, Massachusetts, and a recital tour of the country, after which Norman went back to Europe for several engagements. Norman returned to the US briefly to make her first-ever New York City recital where she appeared as part of the 'Great Performers' series at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center in 1973. In 1975 Norman moved to London and had no staged opera appearances for the next five years. While she gave as the reason for her withdrawal the need to fully develop her voice, others felt that this was a period of concern for her weight and thus her stage image. However, Norman remained internationally active

"When I am laid in Earth"
Dido and Aeneas (Purcell)

as a recitalist and soloist in works such as Mendelssohn's Elijah and Franck's Les Béatitudes. Norman returned to North America again in 1976 and 1977 to make an extensive concert tour, but it was not until many years later that she would make her US Opera début or appear frequently in the United States. Only after Norman had established herself in Europe's leading opera houses and festivals—including the Edinburgh Festival, Salzburg Festival, Aix-en-Provence Festival, and the Stuttgart Opera—did Norman set out to establish herself in the United States. Norman toured Europe throughout the 1970s, giving recitals of works by Schubert, Mahler, Wagner, Brahms, Satie, Messiaen, and several contemporary American composers, to great critical acclaim. In October 1980 Norman returned to the operatic stage in the title role of Richard

Vier Letzte Lieder (Strauss)

Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Hamburg State Opera in Germany. Norman made her United States opera début in 1982 with the Opera Company of Philadelphia, appearing in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex as Jocasta and in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas as Dido. Norman followed these with her début at the Metropolitan Opera in 1983, appearing in Berlioz's Les Troyens as both Cassandra and Dido, a production which marked the company's 100th anniversary season. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, 'By the mid-1980s she was one of the most popular and highly regarded dramatic soprano singers in the world.' She was invited to sing at the second inauguration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan on January 21, 1985, an invitation which she debated accepting, as an African American and a Democrat (as well as a nuclear disarmament activist). In the end,

"Nonn' erubescite, reges"
Oedipus Rex (Stravinsky)

she did accept and sang the folk song 'Simple Gifts.' In 1986, Norman sang at Elizabeth II's sixtieth birthday celebration. That same year Norman appeared as a soloist in Strauss's Vier Letzte Lieder with the Berlin Philharmonic during its tour of the USA. In 1987, Norman joined the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Herbert von Karajan in possibly the greatest rendition of the Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde by Wagner in a historical concert (filmed and recorded audio by Deutsche Grammophon) at the Salzburg Festival. The concert was then repeated some weeks later in Berlin, with Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. Over the years Norman has not been afraid to expand her talent into less familiar areas. In 1988 she sang a concert performance of Poulenc's one-act opera La Voix Humaine (The Human Voice), based on Jean Cocteau's 1930 play of the same name. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Norman produced numerous award-winning recordings, and many of her

Wesendonck Lieder (Wagner)

performances were televised. In addition to opera, many of Norman's recordings and performances during this time focused upon art songs, lieder, oratorios, and orchestral works. Her interpretation of Strauss's Vier Letzte Lieder is especially acclaimed. Its slowness is controversial, but the tonal qualities of her voice are ideal for these final works of the Romantic German lieder tradition. Norman is also known for the Gurrelieder of Arnold Schoenberg and for Schoenberg's one-woman opera Erwartung. In 1989 Norman appeared at the Metropolitan Opera for a performance of Erwartung that marked the company's first single-character production. This opera was presented in a double bill with Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle with Norman playing the role of Judith. Both operas were broadcast nationally. That same year, Norman was the

"Great Day" (trad. spiritual)

featured soloist with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in its opening concert of its 148th season, which was telecast live to the nation by PBS. Norman also performed at the Hong Kong Cultural Center opening and gave a recital at Taiwan's National Concert Hall. Also in 1989, Norman was invited to sing the French national anthem, 'La Marseillaise,' to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution on July 14. Her rendition was delivered at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, in a costume designed by Azzedine Alaïa as part of an elaborate pageant orchestrated by avant-garde designer Jean-Paul Goude. Since the early 1990s Norman has lived in Croton-on-Hudson, New York in a secluded estate known as 'The White Gates' which she purchased from television personality Allen Funt. In 1990, Norman performed at Tchaikovsky's 150th Birthday Gala in Leningrad and she made her

"Sanctus" Messe solennelle (Gounod)

Lyric Opera of Chicago début in the title role of Gluck's Alceste. In 1991 Norman sang for the 700th Celebration Party of Swiss National Day. That same year, she performed in a concert recorded live with Lawrence Foster and the Lyon Opera Orchestra amid the tantalizing acoustics at Paris's Notre Dame cathedral. In 1992 Norman sang Jocasta in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex at the opening operatic production at the new Saito Kinen Festival in the Japanese Alps near Matsumoto. In 1993, Norman sang the title role in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Ariadne auf Naxos. In 1994, Norman sang at the funeral of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In September 1995, she was again the featured soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, this time under Kurt Masur's direction, in a gala concert telecast live to the nation by PBS making the opening of the orchestra's 153rd season. In 1996 Norman gave a highly

"Amazing Grace" trad. hymn (Newton)

lauded performance as the title character in the Metropolitan Opera's premier production of Janáček's The Makropulos Case. Starting in the mid 1990s, Norman began to move away from soprano stage-roles migrating heavily toward mezzo soprano roles. In January 1997, Norman performed at the second inauguration of U.S. President Bill Clinton. Jessye Norman's 1998–1999 performances included a recital at Carnegie Hall in New York City, which had an unusual program incorporating sacred music of Duke Ellington, scored for jazz combo, string quartet and piano, and featuring the Alvin Ailey Repertory Dance Ensemble. Other performances during the season included Das Lied von der Erde, with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a television special for Christmas filmed in her home town of Augusta, Georgia, as well as a spring recital

"Erlkönig" (Schubert)

"Gretchen am Spinnrade" (Schubert)

"Ave Maria" (Schubert)

tour, which included performances in Tel Aviv. The following season also brought performances of the sacred music of Duke Ellington to London and Vienna, together with a summer European tour, which included performances at the Salzburg Festival. In 1999 Norman collaborated with choreographer-dancer Bill T. Jones in a project for New York City's Lincoln Center, called 'How! Do! We! Do!' In 2000, Norman later released an album, I Was Born in Love with You, featuring the songs of Michel Legrand. The recording, reviewed as a jazz crossover project, featured Legrand on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Grady Tate on drums. In February and March 2001, Norman was featured at Carnegie Hall in a three-part concert series. With James Levine as her pianist, the concerts were a significant arts event, replete with an 80-page program booklet featuring a newly commissioned watercolor portrait of Norman by David Hockney. In 2002, Norman

"Kling!" (Strauss)

"Befreit" (Strauss)

"Morgen" (Strauss)

performed at the opening of Singapore's Esplanade Theatres on the bay. On March 11, 2002, Norman performed 'America the Beautiful' at a memorial service unveiling two monumental columns of light at the site of the former World Trade Center, as a memorial for the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City. In 2002 she returned to Augusta to announce that she would fund a pilot school of the arts for children in Richmond County. Classes commenced at St. John United Methodist Church in the fall of 2003. In November 2004, a documentary of Miss Norman's life and work to date, was created. This film, directed by André Heller, with Othmar Schmiderer as director of photography and produced by DOR-FILM of Vienna, chronicles the music, the social and political issues, the inspiration and dreams that have combined to make this singer unique in her profession. In 2006, Norman collaborated with the modern dance choreographer, Trey McIntyre, for a special performance during the summer at the Vail, Colorado Dance Festival.

"Von ewiger Liebe" (Brahms)

Zwei Gesänge, Op. 91 (Brahms)

"Klage II" Neun Gesänge (Brahms)

In March 2009, Ms. Norman curated 'Honor!,' a celebration of the African American cultural legacy. The festival honors the courageous African American trailblazers and artists of the past with concerts, recitals, lectures, panel discussions, and exhibitions hosted by Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theater, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and other sites around New York City. After more than thirty years on stage, Norman no longer performs ensemble opera, concentrating instead on recitals and concerts. In addition to her busy performance schedule, Jessye Norman serves on the Boards of Directors for Carnegie Hall, the New York Public Library, the New York Botanical Garden, City-Meals-on-Wheels in New York City, Dance Theatre of Harlem, National Music Foundation, and Elton John AIDS Foundation. She is a member of the board as well as National spokesperson for the LUPUS Foundation, and spokesperson for Partnership for the Homeless. And in her home town of Augusta, Georgia, she serves on the Board

"Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen"
Kindertotenlieder (Mahler)

"Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen"
Rückert Lieder (Mahler)

"Wo die Schönen Trompeten Blasen"
Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Mahler)

of Trustees of Paine College and the Augusta Opera Association. Throughout her career, Norman has spent much of her time giving recitals and concerts and continues to do so today. In addition to her operatic recitals, Norman has given regular recitals encompassing the classical German repertory as well as contemporary masterpieces, such as Schoenberg's Gurrelieder and the French moderns, which she invariably performed in the original tongue. This combination of scholarship and artistry contributed to her consistently successful career as one of the most versatile concert and operatic singers of her time. Often cited for her innovative programming and fervent advocacy of contemporary music, she has earned the recognition of 'one of those once-in-a-generation singers who isn’t simply following in the footsteps of others, but is staking out her own niche in the history of singing.' Norman frequently collaborates with the world's best symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, and other classical solo artists in her recital work. She has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Stockholm

"Le chemins de l´amour" (Poulenc)

"L´invitation au Voyage" (Duparc)

"Je te veux" (Satie)

"Les Papillons" (Chausson)

Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, and Berlin Philharmonic to name a few. Norman premiered the song cycle woman.life.song by composer Judith Weir, a work commissioned for her by Carnegie Hall, with texts by Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou and Clarissa Pinkola Estés; performed a selection of sacred music of Duke Ellington; recorded a jazz album, Jessye Norman Sings Michel Legrand; and was the soprano co-lead in Vangelis' project Mythodea. Norman commended herself in Mussorgsky's songs, which she performed in Moscow in the original Russian. Other of Norman's diverse projects have included her 1984 album, With a Song in My Heart, which contains numbers from films and musical comedies, and a 1990 performance of American spirituals with soprano Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall. Norman is most often referred to as a dramatic soprano but unlike most dramatic sopranos, Norman has become known for roles more traditionally sung by other types of voices. From her student days Norman had been selective about her

"Du bist wie eine blume" (Schumann)

"Widmung" (Schumann)

repertoire, heeding her own instincts and interests more than the advice of her teachers or requests of her management. In the beginning of her career, this tendency put her at odds with the Deutsche Opera and compelled her to seek out musical works on her own that she felt were more suitable to her vocal skills. Norman told John Gruen of the New York Times, 'As for my voice, it cannot be categorized—and I like it that way, because I sing things that would be considered in the dramatic, mezzo or spinto range. I like so many different kinds of music that I've never allowed myself the limitations of one particular range.' Some vocal critics assert that Norman is not a dramatic soprano but has in fact a rare soprano voice type known as a Falcon. The Falcon voice is an intermediate voice type between the soprano and the mezzo soprano that is similar to the dramatic soprano but with a darker-color. Norman, however, refuses to place any labels on her voice. At the age of twenty-three, when asked by an

"Mild und leise wie er lächelt"
Tristan und Isolde (Wagner)

interviewer in Germany, how she would characterize her voice, she replied that, 'pigeonholes are only comfortable for pigeons.' Over the years Norman's technical expertise has been among her most critically praised attributes. In a review of one of her recitals at New York City's Carnegie Hall, New York Times contributor Allen Hughes wrote that Norman 'has one of the most opulent voices before the public today, and, as discriminating listeners are aware, her performances are backed by extraordinary preparation, both musical and otherwise.' Another Carnegie Hall appearance prompted these words from New York Times contributor Bernard Holland: 'If one added up all the things that Jessye Norman does well as a singer, the total would assuredly exceed that of any other soprano before the public. At Miss Norman's recital ... tones were produced, colors manipulated, words projected and interpretive points made—all with fanatic finesse.'" [Source] For a list of Ms. Norman's honors and awards, click here.

Jennifer Hudson Surprise Birthday Party at Opera Ultra Lounge

Diva of Song: Jennifer Hudson
(Photo: Jeff Martin)

"Jennifer Hudson celebrating her 30th birthday at Opera Ultra Lounge Monday night. The newly-svelte singer, in town for the Kennedy Center concert honoring Aretha Franklin, thought she was going to a late birthday dinner with friends; instead her sisters and about 300 fans surprised Hudson with a party at the new downtown club. The festivities — with a three-tiered cake, 'Happy Birthday' sung by Raheem DeVaughn and Lil’Mo, and Hudson’s hits performed by drag queens — lasted until 2 a.m." [Source] Watch a performance by Jennifer Hudson after the jump.

Happy Birthday: Arleen Augér

"Al destin, che la minaccia"
Mitridate, Re di Ponto (Mozart)

"Joyce Arleen Augér (September 13, 1939 – June 10, 1993) was an American soprano singer, admired for her coloratura voice and interpretations of works by Bach, Handel, Haydn, Monteverdi, Gluck, and Mozart. Auger was born in South Gate, California and lived in Hartsdale, New York. She learned piano and violin as a child. She received a BA in Education from California State University at Long Beach in 1963, and her first job was as a kindergarten and first grade teacher. Between 1965-67, she studied voice with tenor Ralph Errolle in Evanston, Illinois, and began her professional singing career after winning the I. Viktor Fuchs Vocal Competition in Los Angeles in 1967, which brought her some singing engagements and airfare to Vienna; she also appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at this time. She was signed by the Vienna Staatsoper soon after her

"Perdonate, signor mio"
Il Matrimonio Segreto (Cimarosa)

arrival there despite her lack of knowledge of the German language, after impressing Josef Krips, remaining with the company for seven years. Her debut was in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte under Krips. She made her American debut with the same opera in 1969, with the New York City Opera. Her Metropolitan Opera debut was as Marzelline in Fidelio, under Karl Böhm. Given background in education, Auger was a natural vocal teacher. She taught from 1971-77 at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, where she moved in 1974, and later taught at the Salzburg Mozarteum. Her debut at La Scala was in 1975 in L’enfant et les sortilèges. From

"Et Incarnatus Est"
Mass in C minor (Mozart)

this time, she turned to lyrical roles in opera, preferring to focus on her career as a concert singer, in early music as well as lieder, often accompanied in the latter by pianist Irwin Gage. She performed most of the soprano parts in Helmuth Rilling's Bach cantata cycle of the mid-1970s to mid-1980s, appearing several times at Rilling's Oregon Bach Festival. At the other end of the spectrum, she commissioned new song cycles by Libby Larsen (Sonnets from the Portuguese) and Judith Zaimont. She performed Mozart's Exsultate, Jubilate in Westminster Abbey on July 23, 1986 to over 700 million TV viewers at the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson; she later recorded this work along with the Great Mass in C minor under Leonard Bernstein, in 1990. On December 5, 1991, the bicentenary of Mozart's death, she sang his Requiem with

"Care Salve" Atalanta (Händel)

Cecilia Bartoli and the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Georg Solti in St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, by this time already suffering from brain cancer. She made over two hundred recordings, including the complete soprano cantatas of Bach and the works of Schoenberg. Auger won a Grammy for Best Classical Vocal Performance in 1994 for her performances on the 1993 "The Art of Arlene Auger" (Koch International Classics 3-7248-2H1). The release was also notable for its recording debut of "Sonnets from the Portuguese" by American composer Libby Larsen. Auger also recorded for Delos International. Stereophile's Jason Serinus wrote that her 'exquisite album of Love Songs remains one of the finest compendiums of classical song ever issued.' Music critic Tim Page wrote that she was 'the sort of artist whose work not only provided pleasure for her audience but also instruction

"Kennst du das Land"
Lieder der Mignon (Wolf)

for her colleagues [...] by any standards, hers was an exemplary career [...] She sang beautifully for more than a quarter century, she sang great music, and she never bowed or pandered to public taste. She was an artist, steady and serious to the end.' She retired in February 1992, after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, a mass in the right parietal lobe of her brain which turned out to be a giant cell glial blastoma. After three brain surgeries, she died at the age of 53 in Leusden, The Netherlands, where she had lived during her illness. A memorial service in her honour was held at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel where works by Bach, Mozart, Fauré and others were performed by several well known musicians including Renée Fleming and Karen Holvik. She was married and divorced twice, and was survived by her parents and brother." [Source]

Happy Birthday: Françoise Pollet

"Salut, splendeur du jour"
Sigurd (Reyer)

Françoise Pollet was born September 10, 1949 in the city of Boulogne-Billancourt (part of the Hauts-de-Seine district of suburban Paris), France. Her primary focus in music was the violin which she studied at the Conservatoire National de Region de Versailles. She decided to leave for Germany to train in vocal performance at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München where she studied with Ernst Haefliger, Erik Werba and Hermann Reutter. After graduating with honors, she won an international singing competition in Geneva, Switzerland. Immediately after she made her professional debut in 1983 at the opera in Lübeck as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier of Richard Strauss. It was not long after that the soprano's career was launched internationally singing the works of Berlioz, Verdi, Strauss and Messiaen. She has worked with some of the greatest conductors in the world including Pierre Boulez, Michel Plasson, Georges

"Pleurez, pleurez mes yeux"
Le Cid (Massenet)

Prêtre, Semyon Bychkov, Ricardo Chailly, Charles Dutoit and Carlo Maria Giulini. She sang in the most renowned opera houses of the world including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, La Fenice in Venice, l'Opéra Bastille in Paris, as well as with every major orchestra in concert such as the London Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, L'Orchestre philharmonique d'Israël, New York Philharmonic and Royal Danish Orchestra. She participated in the premiere of Reigen by Philippe Boesmans at Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels and created the title role of the last opera by Rolf Liebermann Freispruch für Medea. Her early years training as an instrumentalist aided her greatly in her career as a soloist in recital with such esteemed accompanists as Jean-Marc Luisada, Philippe Cassard, Dalton Baldwin, Roger Vignoles and Bruno Fontaine. Her extensive

"Sombre forêt"
Guillaume Tell (Rossini)

discography includes the Grammy Award-winning recording of Les Troyens and La Damnation de Faust of Berlioz, the Gloria and Stabat Mater of Poulenc, under the direction of Charles Dutoit (Decca); the Poemes pour Mi by Olivier Messiaen, the complete works of Webern, under the direction of Pierre Boulez (DG); the Guy Ropartz Symphony #3 and "La Marseillaise" on a disc titled Révolution Français, with Michel Plasson (EMI); Quand on n'a que l'amour which features music from Verdi to Brel under the direction of Yutaka Sado (Accord); Nuits d'été of Berlioz and Poème de l'amour of Chausson under Armin Jordan (WMD/FNAC); a disc of Duparc Mélodies with the Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy with conductor Jérôme Kaltenbach (Accord); the Vier Letzte Lieder by Richard Strauss, the Sieben Frühe Lieder of Alban Berg and Wesendonck Lieder of Richard Wagner, under the direction Klaus Weise

"Mild und leise, wie er lächelt"
Tristan und Isolde (Wagner)

(Musicdisc); a recital of Airs Sacrés Français with Jacques Mercier (RCA); a recital of Brahms Lieder with Roger Vignoles on piano (Accord); Vissi d'arte, a program of Verdi and Puccini opera arias with Friedmann Layer (Cascavelle); a second recording of Nuits d'été paired with Herminie of Berlioz under conductor Stefan Sanderling (Arion); she teamed with Anne Sofie von Otter, John Aler and Thomas Allen to recored the complete Berlioz Mélodies with Cord Garben on piano (DG); Honegger's Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher with Seiji Ozawa (DG); joined by soprano Natalie Dessay, the two recorded La Lyre et la Harpe and Le Déluge of Saint-Saëns with Jacques Mercier (RCA); a complete recording of Werner Egk's opera Peer Gynt with conductor Heinz Wallberg (Orfeo); Poulenc's La Voix Humaine with Jean-Claude Casadesus (Harmonia Mundi); the Requiem of Saint-Saëns with Jacque Mercier (Adda); a complete recording of Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots and a solo disc L'Opéra Français of grand arias with Cyril Diederich (Erato); as well as some avant

"Toi qui sus le néant"
Don Carlos (Verdi)

"Pace, pace mio Dio"
La Forza del Destino (Verdi)

-garde works on smaller international labels. In 1994, she was recognized as singer of year by Les Victoires de la Musique Classique. She has taught at the Conservatoire national supérieur musique et danse in Lyon, France, since 2002. She gives numerous master classes at the Opéra-Studio de Strasbourg "Voice of the Young Rhine" at the Academy Maurice Ravel (St Jean de Luz), the Musikakademie of Amsterdam, the Franz-Liszt-Hochschule Weimar, at the Conservatoire National de Region de Montpellier and Centre Voice Rhône-Alpes. She is a Chevalier (knight) in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. [Source, Source]

"Mignon" (Wolf)

"Geistliches Wiegenlied" (Brahms)

"Quand on n'a que l'amour" (J. Brel)

"Summertime" Porgy and Bess (Gershwin)

"L'Invitation au Voyage" (Duparc)

"Chanson triste" (Duparc)

"Somewhere" Westside Story (Bernstein)

"Frühling" Vier Letzte Lieder (Strauss)

"La Cloche" (Saint-Saëns)

"Ave Maria" (Bach/Gounod)

Happy Birthday: Karita Mattila

"Cantilena" Bachianas Brasileiras,
No. 5 (Villa-Lobos)

"Karita Marjatta Mattila was born September 5, 1960 in Somero, Finland. Mattila appears regularly in the major opera houses worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, Théâtre du Châtelet, Opéra Bastille, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Vienna State Opera, Toronto Roy Thomson Hall and Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg and with top orchestras. During her career, Mattila has sold over 150,000 certified records, which places her among the top 50 best-selling female soloists in Finland. In 1983, Mattila won the first Cardiff Singer of the World competition. The same year she graduated from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where she studied singing with Liisa Linko-Malmio. She then continued her studies with Vera Rozsa in London. In 1985, she made her Covent Garden debut with the Royal Opera as Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. In 1988, she was seen as Emma in the first ever televised production of

"Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém"
Rusalka (Dvořák)

Schubert's Fierrabras at the Vienna State Opera. On March 22, 1990, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni. In 1994, she made her Spanish debut as Tatyana in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin in Madrid. In 1996 followed important Paris debuts in Wagner's Lohengrin, Verdi's Don Carlos for which she received the François Reichenbach Prize Orphée du Lyrique and in Richard Strauss' Arabella in 2002. In 1997, she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for her performance of Elisabeth in Don Carlos at the Royal Opera House and awarded the Evening Standard Ballet, Opera and Classical Music Award for 'Outstanding Performance of the Year' in this production. Mattila has won Grammy Awards for 'Best Opera Recording' for Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in 1998 and for Jenůfa in 2004. In

"In Quali Eccesi, O numi!...
Mi tradi quell'alma ingrata"
Don Giovanni (Mozart)

2001 The New York Times chose Karita Mattila as the best singer of the year for her performance in Fidelio at the Metropolitan Opera, and in the same year she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award “Outstanding Achievement in Opera” for both Jenůfa and Lisa in The Queen of Spades at the Royal Opera House, London. Dedicatee of Kaija Saariaho's song cycle Quatre Instants, which she created in April 2003 at the Châtelet Theatre and Barbican Centre. Paris saw her first Salome in 2003 and she was honored with Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government as a recognition of her contribution to the arts. In 2004, Mattila sang her first New York Salome at the Metropolitan Opera, which together with the subsequent Káťa Kabanová inspired the New York press to write:

"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Styne-Robin)

"Memory" Cats (Lloyd Webber)

"Don't Cry For Me Argentina"
Evita (Lloyd Webber)

'When the history of the Metropolitan Opera around the time of the millennium is written, Karita Mattila will deserve her own chapter.' In 2005, she was named Musician of the Year 2005 by Musical America, which describes her 'the most electrifying singing actress of our day, the kind of performer who renews an aging art form and drives the public into frenzies.' BBC Music Magazine named Mattila as one of the top 20 sopranos of the recorded era in 2007. Worldwide audiences saw her Manon Lescaut live in movie theatres in 2008. On September 23, 2008, she reprised Salome at the Metropolitan Opera, again broadcast worldwide in High Definition on October 11, 2008. She opened the Metropolitan Opera's 2009-10 season with Tosca, which was seen live in HD worldwide on October 10, 2009. In 2010 at Opéra National de Lyon, Mattila created the role of Émilie du Châtelet in Kaija Saariaho's monodrama Émilie, which was dedicated to her." [Source]

Watch a video from 1986 of Karita Mattila singing "Ständchen," "Wiegenlied" and "Muttertändelei" of Richard Strauss by clicking here.

ROLES:Emilia Marty, Věc Makropulos
Émilie du Châtelet, Émilie
Tosca, Tosca
Manon, Manon Lescaut
Salome, Salome
Arabella, Arabella
Leonore, Fidelio
Amelia, Un ballo in maschera
Elisabeth, Don Carlos
Amelia, Simon Boccanegra
Desdemona, Otello
Elsa, Lohengrin
Eva, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Chrysothemis, Elektra
Jenůfa, Jenůfa
Káťa Kabanová, Káťa Kabanová
Lisa, The Queen of Spades
Tatyana, Eugene Onegin
Donna Anna, Don Giovanni
Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni
Contessa, Le nozze di Figaro
Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte
Pamina, Die Zauberflöte
Ilia, Idomeneo
Agathe, Der Freischütz
Emma, Fierrabras
Hanna Glawari, Die lustige Witwe
Rosalinde, Die Fledermaus
Musetta, La Bohème

Happy Birthday: Gré Brouwenstijn

"Teco io sto"
Un Ballo in Maschera (Verdi)
w/Giuseppe Zampieri

"The Dutch lyric-dramatic soprano Gré Brouwenstijn (August 26, 1915–December 14, 1999) was a famous opera singer whose stage career spanned from the early 1940s to the mid-1970s. She was admired for her warm, radiant voice, her stage presence, her dramatic instincts, and her 'Ingrid Bergman' looks. Brouwenstijn was above all associated with the role of Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio. Considered one of the finest Leonores of the post-World War II period, she performed the role to great acclaim at the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opera, Stuttgart, Berlin, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, London, and Glyndebourne. Brouwenstijn was born Gerda Demphina in Den Helder. She studied voice at the Amsterdam Muzieklyceum, with Jaap Stroomenbergh, Boris Pelsky and Ruth Horna. She made

"Io vengo a domandar"
Don Carlo (Verdi)
w/Jon Vickers

her operatic début in 1940 as the First Lady in The Magic Flute. Brouwenstijn then became a member of the Hilversum Radio Choir, later performing as a soloist in operatic broadcasts. In 1946, she joined the Netherlands Opera, where she made her debut as Julietta [sic] in Les contes d'Hoffmann. In 1949, Brouwenstijn made her debut at the Holland Festival as Leonore in Il Trovatore, the beginning of a long association with that event. In subsequent years, she sang Reiza, Jenůfa, Amelia, Donna Anna, Desdemona, the Countess, Tatyana, Leonore (Forza), Senta, Iphigénie (en Tauride), and Leonore (Fidelio) at the Festival. In 1951, Brouwenstijn made her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Aida (in English), conducted by Sir John Barbirolli. Her Berlin debut in 1954 caused 'something of a sensation;' the critic praised her 'phrasing in

"Nicht sehre dich Sorge"
Die Walküre (Wagner)
w/Birgit Nilsson

Italian opera.' In 1955, under Rafael Kubelík, she sang Desdemona. In 1958, she sang Elisabetta in a famous production of Don Carlos designed by Luchino Visconti and conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini. In 1958 she sang Leonore at the Teatro Colón in a production of Fidelio conducted by Thomas Beecham. From 1954 to 1956, she appeared at Bayreuth, as Elisabeth, Freya, Sieglinde, Gutrune and Eva. Two Wagnerian roles she performed elsewhere, Senta and Elsa, she never performed there, however, due to a breach in 1957 with the Wagner family. In 1959, she made her American debut as Jenůfa at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She made her farewell appearance, singing Leonore, with the Netherlands Opera in 1971. Brouwenstijn died in 1999 at age 84 in Amsterdam." [Source]

"Miserere" Il Trovatore (Verdi)
with Johann Van Der Zalm

"Non la sospiri, la nostra casetta" Tosca (Puccini)
with Ermanno Mauro

"O Fürstin" Tannhäuser (Wagner)
with Hans Beirer

"Winterstürme" to Act 1 finale
Die Walküre (Wagner) with Jon Vickers


CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SAMPLES FROM THIS CD:



CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO LAUNCH THE MEDIA OF THE ARIA INDICATED BELOW EACH IMAGE:

"Vissi d'arte" Tosca (Puccini)	"Dich teure halle" Tannhäuser (Wagner)	"Abscheulicher!" Fidelio (Beethoven)
"Dove sono" Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart)	"Ozean, du Ungeheur" Oberon (Weber)	"Letter Scene" Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky)
"Der Männer Sippe" Die Walküre (Wagner)