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Zémire Et Azor
' (''Zémire and Azor'') is an opéra comique, described as a ''comédie-ballet mêlée de chants et de danses'', in four acts by the Belgian composer André Grétry. The French text was by Jean-François Marmontel based on ''La Belle et la bête'' (''Beauty and the Beast'') by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, and ''Amour pour amour'' by Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée. The opera includes the famous coloratura display piece ''La Fauvette'' in which the soprano imitates birdsong. Performance history It was first performed by the Comédie-Italienne at Fontainebleau on 9 November 1771 and at the Hôtel de Bourgogne in Paris on 16 December 1771. It stayed in the French repertory until at least 1821 and enjoyed worldwide success. It was staged at the court of Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1774. It was performed at the Swedish court at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre in 1778, and in London at the King's Theatre in 1779. In modern times ''Zémire et Azor'' was performed at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
André Ernest Modeste Grétry (cropped)
André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation of the Greek name ''Andreas'', a short form of any of various compound names derived from ''andr-'' 'man, warrior'. The name is popular in Norway and Sweden. Cognate names Cognate names are: * Bulgarian: Andrei, |
John Dew (director)
John Dew (born 1944) is a British opera director. He was the artistic director of the Staatstheater Darmstadt. Biography Dew was born in 1944 in Santiago de Cuba, but later moved to England at age three. He studied at the Pratt Institute in New York City where he gained a Bachelor of Arts degree, after which he was apprenticed to Walter Felsenstein and Wieland Wagner. In 1969 to 1976 he worked as assistant producer in Osnabrück and Ulm, his first production being De Grandes's ''Eduward and Kenegunde'' in Ulm. His freelance work from 1977 to 1982 took him to Kiel, Mannheim, Hanover and Basel where he mounted several productions, as well as a Ring cycle and various Mozart operas in Krefeld. In 1982, he was appointed director of productions and artistic director of the Bielefeld Opera where he remained until 1995. His work there included a cycle of 40 so-called Entartete works - rediscovered works which had been banned by the Nazis. After 1986, he directed productions at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mady Mesplé
Mady Mesplé (7 March 1931 – 30 May 2020) was a French opera singer, considered the leading coloratura soprano of her generation in France, and sometimes heralded as the successor to Mado Robin, with ''Lakmé'' by Delibes becoming her signature role internationally. She sang professionally for more than thirty years, with a repertoire that ranged from operetta to contemporary works. After retiring from the stage, she started teaching. Mesplé was the archetype of a light coloratura soprano: technically secure, musically distinctive, and with a charming stage presence. When she developed Parkinson's disease in the mid-1990s, she responded by writing a book about her career and the development of her illness. Biography Born Madeleine Mesplé in Toulouse on 7 March 1931, she came from a modest family background. Her father Pierre was an accountant and her mother Yvonne (Sesquiere) a secretary. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Beecham
Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Liverpool Philharmonic and The Hallé, Hallé orchestras. From the early 20th century until his death, Beecham was a major influence on the musical life of United Kingdom, Britain and, according to the BBC, was Britain's first international conductor. Born to a rich industrial family, Beecham began his career as a conductor in 1899. He used his access to the family fortune to finance opera from the 1910s until the start of the Second World War, staging seasons at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Drury Lane and Her Majesty's Theatre, His Majesty's Theatre with international stars, his own ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catherine The Great
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst , birth_place = Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire(now Szczecin, Poland) , death_date = (aged 67) , death_place = Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire , burial_date = , burial_place = Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg , signature = Catherine The Great Signature.svg , religion = Catherine II (born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power following the overthrow of her husband, Peter III. Under her long reign, inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, Russia experienced a renaissance of culture and sciences, which led to the founding of m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clairval
Clairval, real name Jean-Baptiste Guignard, (27 April 1735, Étampes – 1795, Paris) was an 18th-century French operatic singer (tenor), comedian and librettist. He played with the same authority drama, comedy and opera, in a considerable number of roles. Among the most notable were: *1765: '' Tom Jones'' (part of Tom Jones) by Philidor *1765: '' La fée Urgèle'' (part of Robert, a knight) by Egidio Duni *1768: ''Le Huron'' (an officer), by Grétry *1769: ''Le tableau parlant'' (part of ''Pierrot''), by Grétry *1769: '' Le déserteur'' (part of Montauciel), by Monsigny *1771: ''Zémire et Azor'', (part of Azor), by Grétry :: This opéra comique was a version of ''Beauty and the Beast'' imagined by Marmontel, where Clairval had to become ugly; but he refused to don the first scheduled disguise: an animal fur. This role was one of his best success. *1776: '' Les mariages samnites'' (part of Agathis), by Grétry *1778: ''L'amant jaloux'', (part of Don Alonze), by Grétry *1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880 Hz in choral music, or to "soprano C" (C6, two octaves above middle C) = 1046 Hz or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which often encompasses the melody. The soprano voice type is generally divided into the coloratura, soubrette, lyric, spinto, and dramatic soprano. Etymology The word "soprano" comes from the Italian word '' sopra'' (above, over, on top of),"Soprano" '' |
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] |
Marie-Thérèse Laruette
Marie-Thérèse Laruette (1744 –1837) was a French opera singer and playwright from Paris. She was a member of the troupe of the Comédie-Italienne, with which the Opéra-Comique was merged in 1762. Biography She was born Marie-Thérèse Vilette, the daughter of a master Parisian tailor who lived in Paris near the Opera and the Comédie-Italienne theaters. After noticing that his daughter was "addicted to the theater", her father took steps to make sure she acquired the education she would need to pursue an operatic career. At 14 years of age, Marie-Thérèse sang soprano for the first time at the Opéra-Comique. She made her professional debut at the Paris Opéra in 1758 before moving to the Comédie-Italienne in 1761. There she performed operas by Monsigny and Grétry, in particular '' Le déserteur'', in which she created the leading role of Louise, in 1767. At 17 years of age, she married, Jean-Louis Laruette (1731–1792), who was a singer and a composer in the Comà ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coloratura Soprano
A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term '' coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component of the music written for this voice. Within the coloratura category, there are roles written specifically for lighter voices known as lyric coloraturas and others for larger voices known as dramatic coloraturas. Categories within a certain vocal range are determined by the size, weight and color of the voice. Coloratura is particularly found in vocal music and especially in operatic singing of the 18th and 19th centuries. The word ''coloratura'' ( , , ) means "coloring" in Italian, and derives from the Latin word ''colorare'' ("to color").''Oxford American Dictionaries''. Lyric coloratura soprano A very agile light voice with a high upper extension, capable of fast vocal coloratura. Lyric coloraturas have a range of approximately middle C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Caillot
Joseph Caillot (24 January 1733, in Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, Paris – 30 September 1816, in Paris) was a French actor and singer. He was endowed with a very wide compass which enabled him to sing as a basse taille ( bass-baritone), while also reaching the haute-contre tones. According to Rodolfo Celletti "he was a baritenor and a bass at the same time": Grétry and Monsigny used to notate his parts in the bass clef, but set them in high- baritone tessiture.''Voce di tenore'', Milan, Idealibri, 1989, p. 59, References Bibliography *Émile Campardon, '' Les Comédiens du roi de la troupe italienne'', Paris, Berger-Levrault et Cie, 1880, vol. I, pp. 85–95. 1733 births 1816 deaths Male actors from Paris French male stage actors 18th-century French male opera singers 18th-century French male actors {{France-stage-actor-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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