It’s a big week for opera birthdays, readers!
On January 25, 1817, Rossini’s La Cenerentola premiered in Rome – and mezzos have been drilling their coloratura ever since. If you’re a Canadian opera fan, you might remember back in 2018, when the Canadian Opera Company adapted Rossini’s opera for young audiences, calling it WOW Factor: A Cinderella Story:
And on January 26, 1911, Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier had its first performance at the Königliches Opernhaus in Dresden. The music will forever be remembered as impossibly beautiful, which is why orchestras have their very own singer-free version, known as the Rosenkavalier suite. Have a listen to Canadian maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting the suite at the BBC Proms in 2019:
And finally, Mozart’s Idomeneo first went up on January 29, 1781 in Munich. The clip below doesn’t feature one of our fine Canadian artists – we know Colin Ainsworth sings a mean “Fuor del mar”, for example – but it’s still worth a listen. South African soprano Elza van Heever steps into the madness of Act III Elettra in her final aria, “D’Oreste, d’Ajace” at Lyric Opera of Chicago:
So, readers: how are you celebrating opera’s big week in history?
Jenna is the editor and co-creator of Schmopera. She also writes for The Globe and Mail and Opera Canada. She’s a pianist and vocal coach, and working with singers is how she fell in love with opera.
