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Popstar To Operastar (series 1)
''Popstar to Operastar'' was a British television music competition to find new singing talent in Opera. The show began on 15 January 2010 and finished on 19 February 2010. The show has eight popstars which took part within the competition battled each other learning opera. The judges were Rolando Villazón, Katherine Jenkins, Meat Loaf and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. The winner of the show was Darius Campbell and with the runner-up being Bernie Nolan. Popstars Results summary Colour key: Episodes Voting percentages are from ITV.com. : Most Public Votes : Eliminated : Bottom two Week 1 Performances Bottom two * Alex James - Eliminated on judges tied, lowest viewer votes * Vanessa White Voting Results Rolando Villazón and Katherine Jenkins saved Vanessa. Meat Loaf and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen saved Alex. Guest Performers * Camilla Kerslake sang "How Can I Keep from Singing?" accompanied by Gary Barlow on piano. Week 2 Performances Bottom two * Vanessa White - ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rolando Villazón
Rolando Villazón Mauleón (born 22 February 1972) is a Mexican operatic tenor, stage director, author, radio and television personality and artistic director. He now lives in France, and in 2007 became a French citizen. Villazón has published several books, including the novels ''Malabares'' and ''Paladas de sombra contra la oscuridad'' which have been translated into French and German. He is a member of the 'Pataphysics#The Collège de 'Pataphysique, Collège de 'Pataphysique in Paris. Early life He was raised in Ciudad Satélite, Fuentes de Satélite, a suburban area of Greater Mexico City, Mexico. In an interview for Mexican television, Villazón told the story of how he was discovered as a tenor. He said that one day, as he was getting out of the shower in his apartment in Mexico City, somebody came knocking on his door; it was baritone Arturo Nieto, a friend of his neighbour, who had heard him singing while in the shower. He told Rolando he had an amazing voice and invited ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Osmonds
The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed as the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (as the Osmonds). The group has consisted of siblings who are all members of a family of musicians from Ogden, Utah, and have been in the public eye since the 1960s. The Osmond Brothers began as a barbershop quartet consisting of brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay. They were later joined by younger siblings Donny and Jimmy, both of whom enjoyed success as solo artists. With the addition of Donny, the group became known as the Osmonds; performing both as teen idols and as a rock band, their peak lasted from 1971 to 1975. Their only sister Marie, who rarely sang with her brothers at that time, launched a successful career in 1973, both as a solo artist and as Donny's duet partner. By 1976, the band was no longer producing hit singles; that year, they transitione ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rigoletto
''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had control over northern Italian theatres at the time, the opera had a triumphant premiere at La Fenice in Venice on 11 March 1851. The work, Verdi's sixteenth in the genre, is widely considered to be the first of the operatic masterpieces of Verdi's middle-to-late career. Its tragic story revolves around the licentious Duchy of Mantua, Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto's daughter Gilda. The opera's original title, ''La maledizione'' (The Curse), refers to a curse placed on both the Duke and Rigoletto by a courtier whose daughter the Duke has seduced with Rigoletto's encouragement. The curse comes to fruition when Gilda falls in love with the Duke and sacrifices her life to save him from the assassin hired by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Donna è Mobile
"" (; "Woman is fickle") is the Duke of Mantua's canzone from the beginning of act 3 of Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''Rigoletto'' (1851). The canzone is famous as a showcase for tenors. Raffaele Mirate's performance of the bravura aria at the opera's 1851 premiere was hailed as the highlight of the evening. Before the opera's first public performance (in Venice), the aria was rehearsed under tight secrecy: a necessary precaution, as "" proved to be incredibly catchy, and soon after the aria's first public performance it became popular to sing among Venetian gondoliers. As the opera progresses, the reprise of the tune in the following scenes contributes to Rigoletto's confusion as he realizes from the sound of the Duke's lively voice coming from the tavern (offstage) that the body in the sack over which he had grimly triumphed was not that of the Duke after all: Rigoletto had paid Sparafucile, an assassin, to kill the Duke, but Sparafucile had deceived Rigoletto by indiscriminately ki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norma (opera)
''Norma'' () is a ''tragedia lirica'' or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after the play ''Norma, ou L'infanticide'' (''Norma, or The Infanticide'') by Alexandre Soumet. It was first produced at La Scala in Milan on 26 December 1831. The opera is regarded as a leading example of the bel canto genre, and the soprano prayer "Casta diva" in act 1 is a famous piece. Among the well known singers of Norma of the first half of the 20th century was Rosa Ponselle who played the role in New York and London. Notable exponents of the title role in the post-war period have been Maria Callas, Leyla Gencer, Joan Sutherland, and Montserrat Caballé. Composition history Crivelli and Company were managing both La Scala and La Fenice in Venice, and as a result, in April–May 1830 Bellini was able to negotiate a contract with them for two operas, one at each theatre. The opera for December 1831 at La Scala became ''Norma'', while the one for the 1832 Carnival ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Barber Of Seville
''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy ''The Barber of Seville'' (1775). The première of Rossini's opera (under the title ''Almaviva, o sia L'inutile precauzione'') took place on 20 February 1816 at the Teatro Argentina, Rome, with designs by Angelo Toselli. Rossini's ''Barber of Seville'' has proven to be one of the greatest masterpieces of comedy within music, and has been described as the opera buffa of all "opere buffe". After two hundred years, it remains a popular work. Composition history Rossini's opera recounts the events of the first of the three plays by French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais that revolve around the clever and enterprising character named Figaro, the barber of the title. Mozart's opera ''The Marriage of Fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Largo Al Factotum
"" (Make way for the factotum) is an aria from ''The Barber of Seville'' by Gioachino Rossini, sung at the first entrance of the title character, Figaro. The repeated "Figaro"s before the final patter section are an icon in popular culture of operatic singing. The term "factotum" refers to a general servant and comes from Latin where it literally means "do everything". Music \addlyrics \new Staff \with Because of the constant singing of eighth notes in meter at an allegro vivace tempo, the piece is often noted as one of the most difficult baritone arias to perform. This, along with the tongue-twisting nature of some of the lines, insisting on Italian superlatives (always ending in " ''-issimo''"), have made it a ''pièce de résistance'' in which a skilled baritone has the chance to highlight all of his qualities. The aria is written in C major. The voice range covers D3 to G4 (optional A4), with a very high tessitura. For this reason, a few dramatic tenors have also sung t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
’O Sole Mio
"O sole mio" () is a well-known Neapolitan song written in 1898. Its Neapolitan language lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the music was composed by Eduardo di Capua (1865–1917) and Alfredo Mazzucchi (1878–1972).. The title translates literally as "my sun" or "my sunshine". The lyrics have been translated to other languages. Lyrics Recordings Jānis Vītiņš O sole mio" has been performed and covered by many artists, including Enrico Caruso, Rosa Ponselle and her sister Carmella, Andrea Bocelli, Beniamino Gigli, Richard Tucker and Mario Lanza. Sergio Franchi recorded this song on his 1962 RCA Victor Red Seal debut album ''Romantic Italian Songs.'' Luciano Pavarotti won the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for his rendition of O sole mio". Authorship and copyright For nearly 75 years after its publication, the music of ''O sole mio'' had generally been attributed to Eduardo di Capua alone. According to the traditional acc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Nolans
The Nolans are an Anglo-Irish girl group who formed in Blackpool in 1974 as the Nolan Sisters, before changing their name in 1980. Often referred to as Ireland's ''First Family of Music'', they were the first Irish performing family to achieve international success, preceding the likes of the Corrs. Between 1979 and 1982, the group had seven international hits, including " I'm In the Mood for Dancing", "Gotta Pull Myself Together", "Who's Gonna Rock You", "Attention to Me" and "Chemistry". They are one of the world's biggest selling girl groups. They were particularly successful in Japan, becoming the first European act to win the Tokyo Music Festival with "Sexy Music" in 1981, and won a Japanese Grammy (Tokubetsu Kikaku Shō) in 1992. History 1962–1974: Early career Tommy (26 September 1925–1998) and Maureen Nolan (15 December 1926–30 December 2007) met at Clerys Ballroom in Dublin and raised their family in Raheny, Dublin. Tommy had a radio show on RTÉ. Due to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shakespears Sister
Shakespears Sister is an alternative pop and rock musical duo based in the United Kingdom that was formed in 1988 by singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama. Shakespears Sister was initially a solo act, but became a duo by 1989 with the addition of American musician Marcella Detroit. Together they released two top 10 albums and a string of top 40 hits, including the 1992 hit "Stay" which peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for eight consecutive weeks. Detroit was sacked from the band in 1993, leaving Fahey as the sole member again until she ended the project in 1996. After working under her own name for some years, Fahey revived the Shakespears Sister name in 2009. In 2019, Fahey and Detroit reunited as Shakespears Sister for a tour and released a single, "All the Queen's Horses", and the EP '' Ride Again''. History 1988–1990: Beginnings and ''Sacred Heart'' Shakespears Sister was conceived as a solo project by Siobhan Fahey, a onetime punk turne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marcella Detroit
Marcella Levy (born June 21, 1952), known professionally as Marcy Levy and (later in her career) Marcella Detroit, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She co-wrote the 1977 Eric Clapton hit "Lay Down Sally" and released her debut album ''Marcella'' in 1982. She joined Shakespears Sister in 1988 with ex-Bananarama member Siobhan Fahey. Their first two albums, ''Sacred Heart'' (1989), and ''Hormonally Yours'' (1992), both reached the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart. Detroit sang the lead vocals on their biggest hit, "Stay", which spent eight consecutive weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart in 1992. Detroit left the band in 1993 and had a UK top 20 hit with " I Believe" in 1994. She formed the Marcy Levy Band in 2002, and finished third in the 2010 ITV series ''Popstar to Operastar''. Career 1970–1987: Early career and ''Marcella'' Detroit-born Marcy Levy began playing for different bands in her home city during the early 1970s. The first major act she worked wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hear'Say
Hear'Say were a British pop group. They were created through the ITV (TV network), ITV reality TV show ''Popstars (British TV series), Popstars'' in February 2001, the first UK series of the international ''Popstars'' Media franchise, franchise. The group, who were signed to Polydor Records, originally consisted of Danny Foster (musician), Danny Foster, Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw, and Noel Sullivan. Hear'Say achieved instant fame, breaking chart records with their debut single "Pure and Simple (song), Pure and Simple" and the album ''Popstars (Hear'Say album), Popstars''. However, their second album failed to match this success. In January 2002, Marsh left Hear'Say due to conflicts with Klass and Sullivan. She was replaced by former Boom! (group), Boom! member Johnny Shentall a month later. During a summer promotional tour, Hear'Say were constantly harassed by members of the public. "Lovin' Is Easy", the group's only single to be released with Shentall, failed to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
