For Those Who Love Opera

On this day in 1961, Luciano Pavarotti made his operatic debut at the Teatro Municipale di Reggio Emilia as Rodolfo in La bohème by Giacomo Puccini.

A star was born one of the greatest tenors in history began his legendary journey with a voice that would captivate the world.

Modest Menzinsky
(April 29, 1875 - December 11, 1935)

Dmytro Hnatyuk
(March 28, 1925 – April 29, 2016)

was a Soviet and Ukrainian baritone opera singer

Rita Hunter
(August 15, 1933 – April 29, 2001)

Rita Hunter will be remembered as one of the major Wagnerian sopranos of the later 20th century, especially for her performances as all three of the Brünnhildes in the Ring cycle, conducted by Reginald Goodall at the English National Opera.[2] In this production she was partnered by Alberto Remedios (who had studied singing at the same time as Hunter in Liverpool with Edwin Francis) as Siegfried, and Norman Bailey as Wotan. The recordings based on this production, with the same artists, are regarded as amongst the finest available, even though they are sung, in accordance with ENO practice, in English.

James McCracken
(December 16, 1926 – April 29, 1988)

was an American operatic tenor. At the time of his death The New York Times stated that McCracken was “the most successful dramatic tenor yet produced by the United States and a pillar of the Metropolitan Opera during the 1960s and 1970s.”

Manfred Gurlitt
(September 6, 1890 – April 29, 1972)

was a German opera composer and conductor. He studied composition with Engelbert Humperdinck and conducting with Karl Muck. He spent most of his career in Japan.

Happy Birthday dear Gino Quilico

Happy Birthday dear Zubin Mehta

The Gambler is an opera in four acts by Sergei Prokofiev to a Russian libretto by the composer, based on the 1866 story of the same name by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

The opera did not receive its first performance until April 29, 1929

Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent
(April 29, 1895 – October 3, 1967)

was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works. The musical ensembles with which he was associated included the Ballets Russes, the Huddersfield Choral Society, the Royal Choral Society, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, and the London Philharmonic, Hallé, Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and Royal Philharmonic orchestras. Sargent was held in high esteem by choirs and instrumental soloists, but because of his high standards and a statement that he made in a 1936 interview disputing musicians' rights to tenure, his relationship with orchestral players was often uneasy. Despite this, he was co-founder of the London Philharmonic, was the first conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic as a full-time ensemble, and played an important part in saving the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from disbandment in the 1960s.

Sir Thomas Beecham
(April 29, 1879 – March 8, 1961)

was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras. From the early 20th century until his death, Beecham was a major influence on the musical life of Britain and, according to the BBC, was Britain's first international conductor.

What do you think of this opera?

Die Frau ohne Schatten is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was written between 1911 and either 1915 or 1917. When it premiered at the Vienna State Opera on 10 October 1919, critics and audiences were unenthusiastic. Many cited problems with Hofmannsthal's complicated and heavily symbolic libretto.