2011 Opera News Awards Honorees Announced

By -

The seventh annual Opera News Awards will be presented on Sunday, April 29 at The Plaza in New York City, paying tribute to five extraordinary artists who have made an invaluable contribution to the art form: sopranos Karita Mattila and Anja Silja, baritones Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Peter Mattei, and director Peter Sellars.

The official announcement of this year’s honorees appears in the September 2011 issue of Opera News, which is available on August 4 and features baritone Mariusz Kwiecien – the Metropolitan Opera’s new Don Giovanni – on its cover. All of the winners will be present at the gala awards dinner, which will feature celebrity presenters speaking about the awardees and introducing video performance clips. The April 2012 issue of Opera News will feature tributes to the five awardees, all distinguished members of the international operatic community.

The Opera News Awards were created in 2005. They recognize five individuals each year for distinguished achievement in the field of opera. Proceeds from the gala evening on April 29 will benefit the education programs of the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

The Opera News Awards include a special sweepstakes – introduced successfully last season – that will give a lucky winner round-trip air transportation for two to New York, provided by American Airlines, as well as a two-night stay at a Manhattan hotel and VIP tickets to the Opera News Awards. No purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes.

The editors of the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s Opera News have offered brief pre-publication accolades to this year’s award recipients.

Senior Editor Louise T. Guinther pays tribute to Dmitri Hvorostovsky:
Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s charisma, glamour, and vocal prowess are without peer. Equally persuasive on recordings, on the recital stage, and in the opera house, Hvorostovsky is a singer whose artistry speaks to everyone.

Managing Editor Oussama Zahr salutes Peter Mattei:
Peter Mattei’s lustrous baritone – firm and generously produced, with an appealing softness around the edges – sets him apart today as a marvelous singer. But it’s his astonishing ability to inhabit a range of characters – from the frothiest comedy to the bleakest tragedy – that makes him an artist of the highest caliber.

Editor in Chief F. Paul Driscoll praises Karita Mattila:
Karita Mattila is a glorious singer whose thrilling, no-holds-barred commitment to her music makes her a singularly compelling and beloved artist. Audiences everywhere adore Karita Mattila because she gives her all at every performance.

Online Editor Adam Wasserman offers his appreciation of Peter Sellars:
The artistry of Peter Sellars has invited audiences to reconsider beloved pieces of the repertory as present-day myths, while his productions of contemporary works have a timeless beauty that makes opera houses seem the most vital of institutions. His work unites the public with music and drama in ways that remind us of our own humanity.

Features Editor Brian Kellow applauds Anja Silja:
Anja Silja is a dramatic soprano capable of churning up a visceral excitement that few others could match, and an actress for whom cheating the audience is unthinkable.

Commenting further about the winners of the seventh annual Opera News Awards, Driscoll notes: “Once again, the editors of Opera News take pride in celebrating the achievements of an extraordinary quintet of honorees. These five incomparable artists have enriched and inspired us all. It will be a privilege to welcome them to the Opera News Awards gala on April 29.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Role of Music in Opera

By -
There are numerous books on the topic, and every composer, librettist, director, singer and audience member has their opinion as to what role the music should play in an opera. In a play without music, the words ought to support the meaning behind a character's actions. However, in the case of action movies, often times the action is what tells the story and there aren't words, just images to forward the plot. We might hear music to accompany action, build tension, but the action tells the story. Musicals tend to speak until the emotion of the moment just "has" to break out in song - unless it's something like "Mama Mia" where the dialog is the rails we travel on between songs; the songs themselves, written before the concept of the musical, are the focus of the production, while the story is secondary. Operas are a different beast. The music provides emotion to the words spoken, but it also plays the role of ambience when there is only action. In &quo
Read more

Acclaimed Fauré Quartett returns to Deutsche Grammophon with their first recording of Brahms

By -
Image
The Fauré Quartett continues to add authoritative recordings to the chamber music catalog with their new recording of two Brahms quartets, available from Deutsche Grammophon on January 12, 2010. These large, some say symphonic, works test the limits of technical and musical capabilities, and the Fauré Quartett once again proves why they are one of the most acclaimed ensembles performing today. Within a short period of time the Fauré Quartett has conquered the great concert halls of London , Paris , Berlin , Amsterdam , Brussels , Geneva , Hamburg , Frankfurt, Milan , Buenos Aires , Rio de Janeiro and elsewhere. “They attract superlatives wherever they go,” wrote The Strad following a concert at London ’s Wigmore Hall, while the Süddeutsche Zeitung praised them for a performance that “brought tremendous pleasure by highlighting interpretative details that had scarcely ever been heard before”. The Fauré Quartett strives to achieve a unique sound for Brahms (as indeed for every work)
Read more

Episode 210b: Joyeuse le départ

By -
Image
Podcast:  Play in new window  |  Download Subscribe:  Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Google Play  |  Stitcher  |  TuneIn  |  RSS Provost Cunningham has Transmigrated, but to where! What is Dr Sage going to do with his body? And how can she bring home her friends, Abigail and Erasmus, without also bring home Cunningham? What are they going to say when they find the “skeleton” she’s hiding in her closet? Cast: Eddie Louise Clark  as Dr Sage Chip Clark  as Professor Savant Justin Bremer  as the Narrator Emily Riley Piatt  as Abigail Entwhistle, Calypso & Dean Stewart Written by  Eddie Louise Theme music by  Unwoman Sound Design by  Chip Michael
Read more