Category Archives: Opera
Samuel Ramey
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 8th August 2026Samuel Ramey occupies a special place among American opera singers. While he’s appeared in several posts on this site, I have not yet devoted an entire article to his exceptional career. At a time when international operatic stardom was still largely associated with tenors and sopranos, he became one of the rare basses whose name…
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Fifteen One-Aria Operas
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 29th July 2026My subject is operas that are known almost entirely because of one hit aria. Without the tune, they would be virtually invisible. Below are 15 arias that I think fit the description just given. Catalani’s Ebben? Ne andrò lontana from the first act of La Wally is probably the supreme example of the one-aria opera….
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The AIs and I – We Answer the Same Question
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 11th July 2026I asked two AIs – ChatGPT and Gemini – the same question: In the pantheon of great Italian artists of all kinds, who are the four greatest? First, the answer I came up with and a brief reason for my choice. Here’s what ChatGPT said when asked the above question: (Notice the first person singular…
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Five Preludes
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 23rd June 2026The prelude to the beginning of an opera or to one of its acts differs from an overture in several ways. A prelude is usually, though not always, shorter. It is not a compendium of the work’s hit tunes. It tends to be less formal and more atmospheric. It typically runs directly into the action…
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On the Future of the Metropolitan Opera
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 5th June 2026I’ve touched on this topic several times before, but as the Met’s future becomes more uncertain every year, I thought a revisit would be worth a few minutes. Basically, there are only two types of problems that confront mankind and his institutions – money and craziness. Of course, the two are often joined as tightly…
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Jerome Hines
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 22nd May 2026Jerome Hines was one of the towering figures of twentieth-century American opera – literally and artistically. Standing more than six and a half feet tall, with a sonorous bass voice of exceptional power and clarity, Hines enjoyed one of the longest and most distinguished careers in the history of the Metropolitan Opera. Yet he was…
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More on Capecchi and E Sogno
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 5th May 2026I’ve previously written about both Renato Capecchi and Ford’s aria from Verdi’s Falstaff. But I came across some material that was so good that I decided to revisit both the baritone and the aria. In 1961, he appeared as Ford in a Naples production of Verdi’s valedictory opera. The cast was remarkable for its all-around…
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Eugene Onegin
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 2nd May 2026I was unable to get to the theater today to catch the live in HD transmission of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. I’ll go to the encore presentation next week and post a full review then. I was able to listen to the audio broadcast of the opera. Here are a few thoughts based on an audio…
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Tito Gobbi
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 3rd April 2026I’ve been writing a lot about great baritones of the past century, while I’ve mentioned him a few times, this is the first post devoted exclusively to Tito Gobbi (1913-1984). A major figure of 20th-century opera, Gobbi combined vocal distinction with an acting ability rarely equaled among singers of any vocal category. His career, which…
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Renato Capecchi
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 24th March 2026Renato Capecchi (1923–1998) was a distinguished Italian baritone, actor, and opera director celebrated for his vast repertoire and exceptional dramatic versatility. While he performed many major dramatic roles, he was particularly renowned for his mastery of “buffo” (comic) characters. He made his operatic debut in 1949 as Amonasro in Aida at Reggio Emilia. By 1951,…
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