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Ali Baba (Cherubini)
''Ali Baba, ou Les quarante voleurs'' is a ''tragédie lyrique'' in four acts plus a prologue, with libretto by Eugène Scribe and Mélesville and music by Luigi Cherubini. The story is based on the tale ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'' (''One Thousand and One Nights''). It was premiered by the Paris Opera in the Salle Le Peletier on 22 July 1833. It was Cherubini's last opera, though he lived for nearly a decade longer. It is also his longest opera, lasting for about three and a half hours at the premiere. Some of the music was adapted and rewritten from his '' Koukourgi'' (written in 1793, but unproduced; first performed in 2010). Performance history It was premiered in Paris on 22 July 1833. It was not successful, with Hector Berlioz calling it "one of the feeblest things Cherubini ever wrote". It ran for five performances. Felix Mendelssohn discussed the opera in his letter of 25 December 1834 to Ignaz Moscheles, stating, that Cherubini was so craven to serve the new style e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini ( ; ; 8 or 14 SeptemberWillis, in Sadie (Ed.), p. 833 1760 – 15 March 1842) was an Italian Classical and Romantic composer. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries. His operas were heavily praised and interpreted by Rossini. Early years Cherubini was born Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore Cherubini in Florence in 1760. There is uncertainty about his exact date of birth. Although 14 September is sometimes stated, evidence from baptismal records and Cherubini himself suggests the 8th is correct. Perhaps the strongest evidence is his first name, Maria, which is traditional for a child born on 8 September, the feast-day of the Nativity of the Virgin. His instruction in music began at the age of six with his father, Bartolomeo, '' maestro al cembalo'' ("Master of the harpsichord", in other words, ensemble leader from the harpsichord). Considered a child prodigy, Cherubini stu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C (i.e. F2–F4) in choral music, and from the second A below middle C to the A above middle C (A2 to A4) in operatic music, but the range can extend at either end. Subtypes of baritone include the baryton-Martin baritone (light baritone), lyric baritone, ''Kavalierbariton'', Verdi baritone, dramatic baritone, ''baryton-noble'' baritone, and the bass-baritone. History The first use of the term "baritone" emerged as ''baritonans'', late in the 15th century, usually in French sacred polyphonic music. At this early stage it was frequently used as the lowest of the voices (including the bass), but in 17th-century Italy the term was all-encompassing and used to describe the ave ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henri-Bernard Dabadie
Henri-Bernard Dabadie (19 January 1797 – 20 May 1853) was a French baritone, particularly associated with Rossini and Auber roles. Life and career Born in Pau, Dabadie studied at the Paris Conservatory and made his debut at the Paris Opéra in 1819 as Cinna in Spontini's '' La Vestale''. He was to remain at the Opéra until 1836, creating roles specifically written for him by Rossini – notably the Pharaon in '' Moïse et Pharaon'', Raimbaud in '' Le comte Ory'', and '' Guillaume Tell''. He also created roles in opera by Auber – Pietro in '' La muette de Portici'', Jolicoeur in ''Le Philtre'', and Jean in ''Le Serment''. He also sang in Italy, where he created Belcore in Donizetti's ''L'elisir d'amore'', in Milan on 12 May 1832. On 6 November 1821, Dabadie married soprano Zulmée Leroux (1795–1877), Commons:File:Reconstituted record of marriage 6 Novembre 1821 Bernard Dabadie and Zulmée Leroux V3E-M 247 vue 21-51 archives AD075ER V3E M 00247 00619 C.JPG who be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean-Étienne-Auguste Massol
Jean-Étienne-Auguste Massol (also known as Eugène Massol) (23 August 1802 – 30 October 1887) was a French operatic tenor and later baritone who sang in the world premieres of many French operas. Massol was born in Lodève and trained at the Paris Conservatory under Charles-Henri Plantade. He won the conservatory's first prize in singing in 1825 and that same year made his stage debut as Licinius in Spontini's ''La vestale'' at the Paris Opera. He sang primarily secondary tenor roles until the late 1830s when he increasingly gravitated to baritone roles. In 1845 he went to Brussels where he sang leading baritone roles including the title role of ''Nabucco'' in its first performance at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie and went on to serve as the theatre's director from 1848 to 1849. During that period he also sang in London with the Royal Italian Opera at Covent Garden. In 1850 he returned to the Paris Opera and remained there as a principal baritone until his retirement fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paolo Montarsolo
Paolo Montarsolo (16 March 1925 – 31 August 2006) was an Italian operatic bass particularly associated with buffo roles. Biography Montarsolo was born in Portici. After vocal studies in Naples and Milan, he made his debut at the Teatro San Carlo in 1949 and at La Scala in 1951, first singing small roles but quickly established himself in buffo roles in operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Gioachino Rossini, and taking part in many revivals of 18th-century operas by composers such as Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Luigi Cherubini, Domenico Cimarosa, Giovanni Paisiello, etc. In 1954, he began appearing outside Italy, notably in Vienna, Salzburg, Paris, London, Glyndebourne, and made his American debut in 1957 at the Dallas Opera, subsequently appearing at the San Francisco Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Besides the 18th- and 19th-century Italian repertoire, he also gained considerable acclaim in character roles such as Fra Melitone, Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfredo Kraus
Alfredo Kraus Trujillo (; 24 November 192710 September 1999) was a distinguished Spanish tenor from the Canary islands (known professionally as Alfredo Kraus), particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles. He was also considered an outstanding interpreter of the title role in Massenet's opera ''Werther'', and especially of its famous aria, "Pourquoi me réveiller?" Early years Kraus was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. His father was Austrian and his mother was Spanish. He began his musical career with piano lessons at the age of four, and he sang in the school choir by age eight. His older brother, Francisco Kraus Trujillo, a baritone, studied music and opera alongside him. Career After refining his technique singing Spanish zarzuela on stage in Madrid and Barcelona, Kraus made his professional opera debut in Cairo during 1956 as the Duke in ''Rigoletto'', which became one of his signature roles. In 1958, he sang Alfredo at the Teatro N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adolphe Nourrit
Adolphe Nourrit (3 March 1802 – 8 March 1839) was a French operatic tenor, librettist, and composer. One of the most esteemed opera singers of the 1820s and 1830s, he was particularly associated with the works of Gioachino Rossini and Giacomo Meyerbeer. Early life Nourrit was born on 3 March 1802 and raised in Montpellier, Hérault. His father, Louis Nourrit, was a well-known operatic tenor and diamond merchant. Louis' example deeply influenced Adolphe (and Adolphe's brother Auguste, who would also become a tenor). Adolphe studied singing and musical theory with his father and then, despite his father's objections, took lessons with Manuel del Pópulo Vicente García. He began his performing career shortly after finishing his studies with García, which lasted for 18 months. Career Not yet 20 years of age, Adolphe Nourrit made his professional operatic debut in 1821 as Pylades in Gluck's ''Iphigénie en Tauride'', being welcomed by his father performing the tiny role of a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cornélie Falcon
Cornélie Falcon (28 January 1814 – 25 February 1897) was a French soprano who sang at the Opéra in Paris. Her greatest success was creating the role of Valentine in Meyerbeer's ''Les Huguenots''. She possessed "a full, resonant voice"Warrack and West 1992, p. 230. with a distinctive dark timbreRobinson and Walton 2011. and was an exceptional actress. Based on the roles written for her voice her vocal range spanned from low A-flat to high D, 2.5 octaves. She and the tenor Adolphe Nourrit are credited with being primarily responsible for raising artistic standards at the Opéra, and the roles in which she excelled came to be known as "falcon soprano" parts.Robinson 1992, p. 110. She had an exceptionally short career, essentially ending about five years after her debut, when at the age of 23 she lost her voice during a performance of Niedermeyer's '' Stradella''. Early life and training She was born Marie-Cornélie Falcon in Le Monastier sur Gazeille (Velay) to Pierre Falcon, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teresa Stich-Randall
Teresa Stich-Randall ( Stich; 24 December 1927 17 July 2007) was a European-based American soprano opera singer. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
