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Linda Maguire
Linda (''née'' Maguire) Hayes Bennett (born May 7, 1959) is an American opera and classical singer, recording artist, neuroscientist and researcher in sensory therapies. Biography Maguire was born in Newport News, Virginia and as a teenager, worked as a madrigal singer and costumed character in Williamsburg, Virginia before going on to study opera at the Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Toronto. After finishing her studies, she went on to a 23-year international career singing over thirty soprano and mezzo-soprano leading roles. In 1996, she toured extensively throughout the Netherlands, singing the lead contralto role in Gluck's ''Orfeo ed Euridice''. She has recorded on the Collins Classics and Deutsche Grammophon Archiv labels and recorded over eighty live vocal broadcasts of major works on radio stations CBC, BBC, NPR and others. In 2004, she relocated from Toronto to Washington DC where she has sung in numerous performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librettist and incorporates a number of the performing arts, such as acting, scenery, costume, and sometimes dance or ballet. The performance is typically given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble, which since the early 19th century has been led by a conductor. Although musical theatre is closely related to opera, the two are considered to be distinct from one another. Opera is a key part of the Western classical music tradition. Originally understood as an entirely sung piece, in contrast to a play with songs, opera has come to include numerous genres, including some that include spoken dialogue such as ''Singspiel'' and ''Opéra comique''. In traditional number opera, singers employ two styles o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Messiah (Handel)
''Messiah'' (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. The text was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its London premiere nearly a year later. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music. Handel's reputation in England, where he had lived since 1712, had been established through his compositions of Italian opera. He turned to English oratorio in the 1730s in response to changes in public taste; ''Messiah'' was his sixth work in this genre. Although its structure resembles that of opera, it is not in dramatic form; there are no impersonations of characters and no direct speech. Instead, Jennens's text is an extended reflection on Jesus as the Messiah called Christ. The text begins in Part I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (also known simply as Tafelmusik) is a Canadian Baroque orchestra specializing in early music and based in Toronto. They often perform with choir and play period instruments. The orchestra was founded in 1979 by oboist Kenneth Solway and bassoonist Susan Graves. Violinist Jeanne Lamon served as Music Director from 1981 to 2014. Lamon then held the title of Chief Artistic Advisor until 2017 when Italian violinist Elisa Citterio was appointed the new Music Director. Lamon continued to perform and tour with the orchestra in a reduced capacity until her death from lung cancer in 2021. Citterio left abruptly in early 2022 and the orchestra is now searching for a new music director. The orchestra has nineteen full-time members who specialize in historical performance and technique, with additional musicians joining the ensemble when required. The Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, under the direction of Ivars Taurins, was formed in 1981 to complement the orches ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Floridante
''Floridante'' ( HWV 14) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was by Paolo Antonio Rolli after Francesco Silvani's libretto for Marc'Antonio Ziani dramma per musica ''La costanza in trionfo'' of 1696. The opera was first given at the King's Theatre in London on 9 December 1721 and was a success with audiences, being revived by Handel in several subsequent seasons. The plot involves dynastic struggles and love tangles in a fictionalised Ancient Persia and is notable for an exceptionally beautiful duet, "Ah, mia cara." Background The German-born Handel, after spending some of his early career composing operas and other pieces in Italy, settled in London, where in 1711 he had brought Italian opera for the first time with his opera ''Rinaldo''. A tremendous success, ''Rinaldo'' created a craze in London for Italian opera seria, a form focused overwhelmingly on solo arias for the star virtuoso singers. In 1719, Handel was appointed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Resurrezione
''La resurrezione'' (''The Resurrection''), HWV 47, is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel, set to a libretto by Carlo Sigismondo Capece (1652–1728). Capece was court poet to Queen Marie Casimire of Poland, who was living in exile in Rome. It was first performed on Easter Sunday, 8 April 1708 at Rome, with the backing of the Marchese Francesco Ruspoli, Handel's patron at this time. The work details the events between — and during — Good Friday and Easter Sunday, with the action carried forward in recitative, and exploration of character and delineation of mood taking place in the arias. The characters of the liturgical drama that appear in the oratorio are Lucifer (bass), Mary Magdalene (soprano), an angel (soprano), John the Evangelist (tenor), and Mary Cleophas (alto). First performance A large orchestra was employed for the occasion, consisting of 39 strings of varying types, 1 viola da gamba, 2 trumpets, 1 trombone, and 4 oboes. The staging and scenery were also lav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of his career and became a naturalised British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced both by the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by composers of the Italian Baroque. In turn, Handel's music forms one of the peaks of the "high baroque" style, bringing Italian opera to its highest development, creating the genres of English oratorio and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into English church music. He is consistently recognized as one of the greatest composers of his age. Handel started three commercial opera companies to supply the English nobility with Italian opera. In 1737, he had a physical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Music, Davies formed a group dedicated to contemporary music called the New Music Manchester with fellow students Harrison Birtwistle, Alexander Goehr, Elgar Howarth and John Ogdon. Davies’s compositions include eight works for the stage—from the monodrama '' Eight Songs for a Mad King'', which shocked the audience in 1969, to '' Kommilitonen!'', first performed in 2011—and ten symphonies, written between 1973 and 2013. As a conductor, Davies was artistic director of the Dartington International Summer School from 1979 to 1984 and associate conductor/composer with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from 1992 to 2002, holding the latter position with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra as well. Early life and education Davies was bor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. The English- and French-language service units of the corporation are commonly known as CBC and Radio-Canada, respectively. Although some local stations in Canada predate the CBC's founding, CBC is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Canada. The CBC was established on November 2, 1936. The CBC operates four terrestrial radio networks: The English-language CBC Radio One and CBC Music, and the French-language Ici Radio-Canada Première and Ici Musique. (International radio service Radio Canada International historically transmitted via shortwave radio, but since 2012 its content is only available as podcasts on its website.) The CBC also operates two terrestrial television networks, the English-language CBC Television and the F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marc Minkowski
Marc Minkowski (born 4 October 1962) is a French conductor of classical music, especially known for his interpretations of French Baroque works, and is the current general director of Opéra national de Bordeaux. His mother, Mary Anne (Wade), is American, and his father was Alexandre Minkowski, a Polish-French professor of pediatrics and one of the founders of neonatology. Marc Minkowski is a Chevalier du Mérite. Life and career Marc Minkowski was born in Paris. His maternal grandmother, Edith Wade, was a violinist. He began his musical career as a bassoonist for René Clemencic's Clemencic Consort and Philippe Pierlot's Ricercar Consort. In 1982, Minkowski formed " Les Musiciens du Louvre", an orchestra dedicated to showcasing French Baroque music which has championed works by Marin Marais (opera '' Alcyone''), Jean-Joseph Mouret (opera ''Les amours de Ragonde''), Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Jean-Baptiste Lully (opera '' Phaëton'' at Opéra National de Lyon) and Jean- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Les Musiciens Du Louvre
Les Musiciens du Louvre (literally ''The Musicians of the Louvre'') is a French period instrument ensemble, formed in 1982. Originally based in Paris, since 1996 it has been based in the Couvent des Minimes in Grenoble. ''The Guardian'' considers it one of the best orchestras in the world.Tim AshleyProm 22 'The Guardian', Tuesday 31 July 2007. History Founded by Marc Minkowski in 1982, the ensemble was originally based in Paris. From 1987 it gained an international reputation as one of the best Baroque and classical ensembles. It has also made successful forays into the works of Offenbach, Berlioz and Bizet. In 1992, it inaugurated the Baroque music festival at the Palace of Versailles with '' Armide'' by Gluck, then in 1993 took part in the inauguration of the Opéra Nouvel in Lyon with '' Phaëton'' by Lully. 1993 also saw it win a Gramophone Award for Best Baroque Vocal Recording for its recording of ''San Giovanni Battista'' by Stradella. On its move to Grenoble in 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brett Polegato
Brett Polegato (born 1968 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada) is an operatic baritone. History He performed in concert at ''Dido and Æneas'', de Purcell : the 6 of September 1995, Royal Albert Hall, Proms 59 (BBC). With Brett Polegato (Aeneas), Linda Maguire (Dido), Jacques François Loiseleur des Longchamps (Sorceress), Benjamin Butterfield (Sailor), Shari Saunders (Belinda), Meredith Hall (First Witch), Laura Pudwell (Spirit), Orchestra : Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski. In 1999 he made his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Peter Niles in Levy's ''Mourning Becomes Electra'' followed by his La Scala debut in 2000 as Ned Keene in Britten's '' Peter Grimes''. He is particularly known for his interpretation of the title role in Debussy's '' Pelléas et Mélisande'' which he has performed with many companies including the Bavarian State Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Oper Leipzig, and Opéra National du Rhin. Other European appearances include Ubalde in Gluck's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cardiff Singer Of The World
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition (known as Cardiff Singer of the World from 1983–2001 and BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff in 2003) is a competition for classical singers held every two years. The competition was started by BBC Wales in 1983 to celebrate the opening of St David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales, home of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. The creation of the competition was overseen by Geraint Stanley Jones, who was the controller at BBC Wales at the time. Auditions are held throughout the world in the autumn before the competition, with singers being selected to take part in Cardiff the following June. Each singer represents their own country. In Wales there is a competition to select the national representative; the winner of the Welsh Singers Showcase represents Wales in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. The competition is judged by a panel of distinguished singers, musicians and music professionals. In 2003 an audience prize was also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
