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Ulisse Orsini
''Ulisse'' is an opera in a prologue and two acts composed by Luigi Dallapiccola to his own libretto based on the legend of Ulysses. It premiered at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (in German translation by Karl-Heinrich Kreith as ''Odysseus'') on 29 September 1968 conducted by Lorin Maazel with Erik Saedén in the title role. ''Ulisse'' was Dallapiccola's last opera and took eight years to compose. As in his previous operas, ''Volo di notte'' and ''Il prigioniero'', his declared theme was "the struggle of man against some force much stronger than he".Warrack and West (1996) Roles *Ulisse – baritone (Erik Saedén) * Calypso – soprano (Annabelle Bernard) *Nausicaa – soprano (Catherine Gayer) * Re Alcinoo – bass (Victor von Halem) * Demodoco – tenor (Helmuth Melchert) *Circe – mezzo-soprano (Jean Madeira) *La madre di Anticlea ("mother of Anticlea") – soprano (Hildegard Hillebrecht) *Tiresia – tenor (Helmuth Melchert) *Pisandro (a suitor) – baritone (José van Dam) * Ant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luigi Dallapiccola
Luigi Dallapiccola (February 3, 1904 – February 19, 1975) was an Italian composer known for his lyrical twelve-tone compositions. Biography Dallapiccola was born in Pisino d'Istria (at the time part of Austria-Hungary, current Pazin, Croatia), to Italian parents. Unlike many composers born into highly musical environments, his early musical career was irregular at best. Political disputes over his birthplace of Istria, then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, led to instability and frequent moves. His father was headmaster of an Italian-language school – the only one in the city – which was shut down at the start of World War I. The family, considered politically subversive, was placed in internment at Graz, Austria, where the budding composer did not even have access to a piano, though he did attend performances at the local opera house, which cemented his desire to pursue composition as a career. Once back in his hometown Pisino after the war, he travelled f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victor Von Halem
Victor von Halem (26 March 1940 – 28 May 2022) was a German operatic bass. He was a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin for nearly 30 years as well as a guest singer in the major opera houses and festivals of Europe and North America. He sang a wide repertoire encompassing over 100 roles, including King Philipp in Verdi's ''Don Carlo'' and Hans Sachs in Wagner's ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg''. Life and career Von Halem was born in Berlin but spent his childhood in Portugal and Italy. He studied singing at the Musikhochschule München under Else Domberger. Recommended by Herbert von Karajan, he made his stage debut in 1965 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and was a member of the company for the next 30 years, singing many leading bass roles and described as "a defining singer" of the house. His roles included Sarastro in Mozart's ''Die Zauberflöte'', Rocco in Beethoven's ''Fidelio'', Saint-Bris in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots. Verdi's Ramfis in ''Aida'' and King Philipp in ''Don C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melantho (Odyssey)
In Greek mythology, Melantho (; Ancient Greek: Μελανθώ) is one of the minor characters in the ''Odyssey''. Family Melantho was the sister to Melanthios, a goatherd in Ithaca, and the daughter of Dolios. Mythology Described as having a "sharp tongue", Melantho was among the favorite female slaves of Penelope, treated like a daughter by her, having been given trinkets and other small gifts. Despite having been much cared for by Penelope, Melantho was disloyal and ungrateful to Odysseus and his household. She was one of the female slaves who often sleep with the suitors of Penelope, a characteristic which is evident by her relationship with Eurymachus. Upon Odysseus's arrival in his own house, disguised as a beggar, Melantho treated him harshly and rudely asked why he has not gone to sleep in the smithy, the location where chance visitors in Ithaca tended to go. After Odysseus kills all of the suitors, it's not clear if Melantho is among the other slave girls that ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eurymachus (Odyssey)
In Greek mythology, Eurymachus ( /jʊˈrɪməkəs/; Ancient Greek: Εὐρύμαχος ''Eurúmakhos'') was an Ithacan nobleman and one of the two leading suitors of Penelope, the other being Antinous. Family Eurymachus was the son of Polybus, also a suitor of Penelope. Mythology In Homer’s ''Odyssey'', Eurymachus, along with the majority of his fellow suitors, shows no regard for the Greek custom of ''xenia'' or guest-friend hospitality; he is arrogant, disrespectful, and consumes food and drink without the slightest reciprocation. Eurymachus is noteworthy for being manipulative and deceitful, at one point even fooling Penelope into thinking him without ill-intent. Although he arranges for the death of Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, his plan fails and he is later killed by Odysseus. He claims in his childhood Odysseus befriended him often, and tells Penelope that makes Telemachus 'my dearest friend on Earth' and he will protect him, though 'death for Telemachus was in his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antinous Of Ithaca
In the Epic Cycle, Antinous (also ''Antinoüs''; ) or Antinoös ( grc, Ἀντίνοος, translit=Antínoös means "opposite in character, resisting"), was the Ithacan son of Eupeithes, is most known for his role in Homer's ''Odyssey''. Mythology One of two prominent suitors of Penelope vying for her hand in marriage, the other being Eurymachus, Antinous was presented as a violent, mean-spirited, and over-confident character who wilfully defiles Odysseus' home while the hero is lost at sea. In an attempt to kill Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, Antinous sends out a small band of suitors in the strait between Ithaca and rugged Same where there is a rocky isle called ''Asteris'', to intercept the young prince on his journey back to Ithaca from the hall of Menelaus. The plan, however, fails, as Telemachus avoids the trap with help from the goddess Athena. Antinous is a prime example of disregard for the custom of '' ''xenia'''' (guest-friend hospitality); rather th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
José Van Dam
Joseph, Baron Van Damme (born 27 August 1940 in Brussels), known as José van Dam, is a Belgian bass-baritone. At the age of 17, he entered the Brussels Royal Conservatory and studied with Frederic Anspach. A year later, he graduated with diplomas and first prizes in voice and opera performance. He made his opera début as the music teacher Don Basilio in Gioacchino Rossini’s ''Il Barbiere di Siviglia'' at the Paris Opera in 1961, and remained in the company until 1965, when he sang his first major role, Escamillo from Bizet's ''Carmen''. He then sang for two seasons at Geneva, La Scala, Covent Garden, and in Paris. At Geneva, Van Dam sang in the première of Milhaud's ''La mère coupable'' in 1966. Lorin Maazel heard van Dam and invited him to record Ravel’s ''L’heure espagnole'' with him for Deutsche Grammophon. In 1967, Maazel asked him to join the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. Van Dam has performed at L’Opéra de Paris, Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suitors Of Penelope
In Greek mythology, the suitors of Penelope (also known as the Proci) are one of the main subjects of Homer's ''Odyssey''. Role in the ''Odyssey'' In the ''Odyssey'' Homer describes Odysseus' journey home from Troy. Prior to the Trojan War, Odysseus was King of Homer's Ithaca, Ithaca, a Greek island known for its isolation and rugged terrain. When he departs from Ithaca to fight for the Greeks in the war, he leaves behind a newborn child, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope. Although most surviving Greek soldiers return shortly after the end of the fighting, Odysseus does not return to Ithaca until ten years after the end of the Trojan War. During Odysseus' long absence, unmarried young men start to suspect that Odysseus died in Troy or on the journey home. Under the pretense of courting Penelope, these youths, called "the suitors", take up residence in Odysseus' home and vie for her hand in marriage. Rather than simply rejecting the suitors, Penelope devises a plan to delay their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tiresias
In Greek mythology, Tiresias (; grc, Τειρεσίας, Teiresías) was a blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes, famous for clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was the son of the shepherd Everes and the nymph Chariclo. Tiresias participated fully in seven generations in Thebes, beginning as advisor to Cadmus himself. Mythology Eighteen allusions to mythic Tiresias, noted by Luc Brisson, fall into three groups: the first recounts Tiresias' sex-change episode and later his encounter with Zeus and Hera; the second group recounts his blinding by Athena; the third, all but lost, seems to have recounted the misadventures of Tiresias. Blindness and gift of prophecy Like other oracles, how Tiresias obtained his information varied: sometimes, he would receive visions; other times he would listen for the songs of birds, or ask for a description of visions and pictures appearing within the smoke of burnt offerings or entrails, and so interpret them. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hildegard Hillebrecht
Hildegard Hillebrecht (26 November 1925 – 7 October 2018) was a German operatic soprano. Career Born in Hanover, Hillebrecht studied singing after attending medical school and made her in the role of Leonora in Verdi's ''Il trovatore''. She sang at the Zürich Opera House from 1952-1954, in Düsseldorf from 1954 to 1959 and at the Bayerische Staatsoper from 1961. She performed regularly at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and participated in many festivals including Salzburg and Munich. Among Hillebrecht's commercial recordings are Strauss's ''Ariadne auf Naxos'' (with Jess Thomas, conducted by Karl Böhm, 1969) and Busoni's ''Doktor Faust'' (with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and William Cochran, 1969), both on Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of .... Commer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anticlea Of Ithaca
In Greek mythology, Anticlea or Anticlia (; Ancient Greek: ''Ἀντίκλεια'', literally "without fame") was a queen of Ithaca as the wife of King Laërtes. Family Anticlea was the daughter of Autolycus and Amphithea. The divine trickster and messenger of the gods, Hermes, was her paternal grandfather. Anticlia was the mother of Odysseus by Laërtes (though some say by SisyphusHyginus, ''Fabulae'' 201; Plutarch, ''Quaestiones Graecae'' 43; Suida, s.v. Sisyphus'). Ctimene was also her daughter by her husband Laertes. Mythology Early years According to some later sources, including a fragment of Aeschylus' lost tragedy ''The Judgment of Arms'', Odysseus was the child of Anticlea by Sisyphus, not Laërtes. In this version of the story, Autolycus, an infamous trickster, stole Sisyphus' cattle. At some point, Sisyphus recognized his cattle while on a visit to Autolycus and subsequently seduced (or, in some versions, raped) Anticlea, Autolycus' daughter. Odysseus was the r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean Madeira
Jean Madeira, née Jean Browning (born November 14, 1918, in Centralia, Illinois; died on July 10, 1972, in Providence, Rhode Island) was an American contralto, particularly known for her work in late-romantic German repertoire such as the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. When she was a child her family moved to East St. Louis, Illinois, where she attended high school, and she later studied with Florence Kimball at the Juilliard School in New York City. She made her debut in opera in Chatauqua, as Nancy in ''Martha'', by Flotow. In 1955, the singer and actress successfully sang the title role in ''Carmen'' with the Vienna State Opera. She sang approximately 300 times at the Metropolitan Opera in forty-one roles, between 1948 and 1971. Her last appearance there was in ''Elektra'', opposite Birgit Nilsson and Leonie Rysanek.Erik ErikssonBiography: Jean Madeira ''All Music Guide'', © 2009">[3/nowiki>/sup>_Jean_Madeira_was_a_second-cousin_of_the_composer_Amy_Beth_Kirsten ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above (i.e. A3–A5 in scientific pitch notation, where middle C = C4; 220–880 Hz). In the lower and upper extremes, some mezzo-sopranos may extend down to the F below middle C (F3, 175 Hz) and as high as "high C" (C6, 1047 Hz). The mezzo-soprano voice type is generally divided into the coloratura, lyric, and dramatic mezzo-soprano. History While mezzo-sopranos typically sing secondary roles in operas, notable exceptions include the title role in Bizet's '' Carmen'', Angelina (Cinderella) in Rossini's ''La Cenerentola'', and Rosina in Rossini's ''Barber of Seville'' (all of which are also sung by sopranos and contraltos). Many 19th-century French-language operas give the leading female role to mezzos, includin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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