• 1301
• Articles
• 07 Gen 2012

The first “Norma” performed by Maria Callas was in 1948, Florence, “Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Callas was the most prolific Norma of the postwar period, with 89 stage performances (several of which exist on recording), along with two studio recordings (made in 1954 and 1960). In 1952, Maria Callas made her London debut at the Royal […]

• 1177
• Articles
• 06 Gen 2012

Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi (1830), La sonnambula (1831), Norma (1831), Beatrice di Tenda (1833), and I puritani (1835). Known for his long-flowing melodic lines, for which he was named “the Swan of Catania,” Bellini […]

• 584
• Articles
• 27 Dic 2011

On February 19, 1736, King’s Theater in London played host to a remarkable gala musical event, of the likes of which modern Baroque aficionados can only dream. No fewer than four of George Frideric Handel’s best-known full-scale concert pieces were first heard on that blustery winter evening: an Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day for soloists, […]