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Maskarade
''Maskarade'' (''Masquerade'') is an opera in three acts by Carl Nielsen to a Danish libretto by Vilhelm Andersen, based on the comedy by Ludvig Holberg. It was first performed on 11 November 1906 at Royal Danish Theatre, Copenhagen. ''Maskarade'' has enjoyed enduring popularity in Denmark where it is considered to be the country's national opera. Background and performance history Nielsen first considered writing an opera based on Holberg's play ''Maskarade'' around the turn of the 20th century. He contacted Vilhelm Andersen (1864–1953) whom he knew from his student days, hoping to persuade him to write a libretto. Andersen initially refused but finally agreed, allowing Nielsen to start composing in May 1904. The Royal Theatre scheduled the opera even before it was finished. In fact, Nielsen completed the overture only on 3 November, a week before the opera's premiere. The world premiere of ''Maskarade'' took place at Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen on 11 November 1906. It ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carl Nielsen
Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age. He initially played in a military band before attending the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen from 1884 until December 1886. He premiered his Op. 1, '' Suite for Strings'', in 1888, at the age of 23. The following year, Nielsen began a 16-year stint as a second violinist in the Royal Danish Orchestra under the conductor Johan Svendsen, during which he played in Giuseppe Verdi's '' Falstaff'' and ''Otello'' at their Danish premieres. In 1916, he took a post teaching at the Royal Danish Academy and continued to work there until his death. Although his symphonies, concertos and choral music are now internationally acclaimed, Nielsen's career and personal life were marked by many d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bronx Opera
Bronx Opera (BxO) is an opera company in the Bronx, New York. It was founded in 1967 by artistic director and music director, the conductor Michael Spierman. The company is a member of the New York Opera Alliance. The company performs two operas a year, one lesser known work, and an opera from the standard repertoire. All productions are sung in English with full orchestra and chorus. Additionally, the company presents concerts of opera excerpts throughout the year. The company's opera orchestra is increased to full-size to form the fully professional Orchestra of the Bronx which gives two free concerts every year. Opera performances are at Lehman College's Lovinger Theatre and Hunter College's Kaye Playhouse in Manhattan's Upper East Side; concerts are given in the Bronx and surrounding areas from Long Island to Delaware County.''Cinderella'' (2016) program Origins In 1966, a group of musicians were attempting to put together a performance of Handel's ''Messiah''. While this p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Igor Buketoff
Igor Konstantin Buketoff (29 May 19157 September 2001) was an American conductor, arranger and teacher. He had a special affinity with Russian music and with Sergei Rachmaninoff in particular. He also strongly promoted British contemporary music, and new music in general. Biography Buketoff was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of a Russian Orthodox priest. He liked to refer to himself as "the last active conductor with pre-Revolutionary blood in his veins". His father knew Sergei Rachmaninoff and had been asked by the composer to assemble the choir for the 1927 world premiere of his '' Three Russian Folk Songs'', Op. 41, using the basso profundos among the Orthodox clergy. Igor attended the rehearsals for the premiere and was told by his father that the conductor, Leopold Stokowski, had his own ideas about the tempo for the final song and refused to obey Rachmaninoff's wishes. His education was at the University of Kansas 1931-32, the Juilliard School in New York 1935- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vilhelm Andersen
Vilhelm Rasmus Andreas Andersen (16 October 1864 – 3 April 1953) was a Danish author, literary historian and intellectual, who primarily focused on the study of Danish literature. He was one of the first to use the term " Golden Age of Culture" to refer to the 1800s, and his focus on bringing Danish literature to the public earned him great popularity. Andersen was instrumental in the development of the School of Radio, as a means of disseminating public education to prevent loss of cultural identity and treasures. Biography Vilhelm Rasmus Andreas Andersen was born on 16 October 1864 in Nordrup at Ringsted in the Slagelse Municipality of Denmark, son of Frederik Vilhelm Andersen. He graduated from Sorø Academy in 1882, having studied language and literature. He continued his studies at the University of Copenhagen taking his examinations in 1888. He won the University's Gold Medal in Nordic philology in 1891 and took his doctorate in 1896 with his thesis ''Guldhornene'' (The G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mary Beth Peil
Mary Beth Peil (born June 25, 1940) is an American actress and soprano. She began her career as an opera singer in 1962 with the Goldovsky Opera Theater. In 1964 she won two major singing competitions, the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions; the latter of which earned her a contract with the Metropolitan Opera National Company with whom she performed in two seasons of national tours as a leading soprano from 1965–1967. She continued to perform in operas through the 1970s, notably creating the role of Alma in the world premiere of Lee Hoiby's ''Summer and Smoke'' at the Minnesota Opera in 1971. She later recorded that role for American television in 1982. With that same opera company she transitioned into musical theatre, performing the title role of Cole Porter's '' Kiss Me, Kate'' in 1983. Later that year she joined the national tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''The King and I'' as Anna Leonowens opposite ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bregenz Festival
Bregenzer Festspiele (; Bregenz Festival) is a performing arts festival which is held every July and August in Bregenz in Vorarlberg (Austria). It features a large floating stage which is situated on Lake Constance. History The Festival became an international event in its first year 1946, one year after World War II. People from Germany, Switzerland and France came to the festival. Two stages were created out of floating barges. One barge for the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the other barge for carrying stage structures. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra is the biggest contributor to the Festival. This orchestra has a performance spot every year since the beginning of the festival. They have their own stage area and other venues used thorough out the festival. Every year the orchestra has a different conductor for each piece because it is considered the conductors performance. Kornmarktplatz, vorarlberg museum is the venture they are using for the 2016 Festival. In 2001, the f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karl Mantzius
Karl Mantzius (20 February 1860 – 17 May 1921) was a Danish actor, stage and film director, theatre scholar, and operatic baritone. Life and career Mantzius was born in Copenhagen, the son of the actor Kristian Mantzius. At first he played small roles in amateur comedy plays at the Court Theatre in Copenhagen, including 'Vielgeschrey' in ''Den Stundesløse'' by Ludvig Holberg, which brought him so much success that the theatre manager Edvard Fallesen advised him to become an actor. He made his debut at the Royal Danish Theatre on 1 September 1883 as Jerome in ''Erasmus Montanus'' and became a regular presence at the theatre as both an actor and director. His later roles included Dr. Stern in ''En mand gik ned fra Jerusalem'', Lieutenant von Buddinge in Jens Christian Hostrup's ''Gjenboerne'' and Falstaff in ''Henry IV.'' Although primarily a stage actor, he also appeared in two operas at the Royal Danish Theatre—as Beckmesser in Wagner's ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Overture
Overture (from French language, French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn, Mendelssohn composed overtures which were independent, self-existing instrumental, programmatic works that foreshadowed genres such as the symphonic poem. These were "at first undoubtedly intended to be played at the head of a programme". History 17th century The idea of an instrumental opening to opera existed during the 17th century. Jacopo Peri, Peri's ''Euridice (Peri), Euridice'' opens with a brief instrumental ritornello, and Claudio Monteverdi, Monteverdi's ''L'Orfeo'' (1607) opens with a toccata, in this case a fanfare for muted trumpets. More important, however, was the prologue, which comprised sung dialogue between Allegory, allegorical characters which introduced the overarching themes of the sto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Kennedy (music Critic)
George Michael Sinclair Kennedy CBE (19 February 1926 – 31 December 2014) was an English music critic and author who specialized in classical music. For nearly two decades he was the chief classical music critic for both ''The Daily Telegraph'' (1986–2005) and ''The Sunday Telegraph'' (1989–2005). A prolific writer, he was the biographer of many composers and musicians, including Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Barbirolli, Mahler, Strauss, Britten, Boult and Walton. Other notable publications include writings on various musical institutions, the editing of music dictionaries as well as numerous articles for ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' and the subsequent ''Grove Music Online''. Life and career On 19 February 1926 Kennedy was born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, and attended Berkhamsted School. On 17 November 1941, he joined the Manchester office of ''Daily Telegraph'' at age 15, as a tea boy. In his youth, Kennedy auditioned for a role in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opera North
Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and the Theatre Royal, Newcastle. The company's orchestra, the Orchestra of Opera North, regularly performs and records in its own right. Operas are performed either in English translation or in the original language of the libretto, in the latter case usually with surtitles. The major funders of Opera North include Arts Council England and, in Yorkshire, Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire Grants, North Yorkshire County Council, and East Riding of Yorkshire Council. History Opera North was established in 1977 as English National Opera North, as an offshoot of English National Opera, with the specific intention of delivering high-quality opera to the northern areas of England which, up to that point, had had no permanently established op ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Service
Tom Service (born 8 March 1976) is a British writer, music journalist and television and radio presenter, who has written regularly for ''The Guardian'' since 1999 and presented on BBC Radio 3 since 2001. He is a regular presenter of The Proms for Radio 3 and has presented several documentaries on the subject of classical music. Early life Service was born in Glasgow and attended Kelvinside Academy, where he learned cello and piano. He studied Music at the University of York, then studied for a masters in Music at the University of Southampton. He wrote his PhD thesis on American composer and musician John Zorn. Career Broadcasting He joined BBC Radio 3 in 2001 presenting ''Hear and Now'', and from 2003 he has presented '' Music Matters''. From 2016, he started presenting a weekly show also on Radio 3, called ''The Listening Service'', which drew comparisons to David Munrow's programme ''Pied Piper'', which aired on the same station in the 1970s Since 2011 Service has present ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morley College
Morley College is a specialist adult education and further education college in London, England. The college has three main campuses, one in Waterloo on the South Bank, and two in West London namely in North Kensington and in Chelsea, the latter two joining following a merger with Kensington and Chelsea College in 2020. There are also smaller centres part of the college elsewhere. Morley College is also a registered charity under English law. It was originally founded in the 1880s and has a student population of 11,000 adult students (as at 2019). It offers courses in a wide variety of fields including art and design, fashion, languages, drama, dance, music, health and humanities. History Morley Memorial College for Working Men and Women In the early 1880s, philanthropist Emma Cons and her supporters took over the Royal Victoria Hall, (the "Old Vic") a boozy, rowdy home of melodrama, and turned it into the Royal Victoria Coffee and Music Hall to provide inexpensive entertai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
