 Plácido and
Frederica
Two Magnificent Evenings
of Opera Selections
By ENRICO PALATZO
Photography COURTESY EMI CLASSICS
Photographer SHEILA ROCK
The recently expanding arts community
of San Antonio has something
special to celebrate. Reminiscent
of the 1940s-70s, when the touring
Metropolitan Opera would bring
opera’s biggest stars to San Antonio,
San Antonio Opera is presenting two of
opera’s legendary performers in the
span of three days.
San Antonio Opera closes its 10th
anniversary season with a performance
by mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade.
Described by the New York Times as "one of America's finest artists and
singers," Ms. von Stade continues to be
extolled as one of the music world's
most beloved figures. Known to family,
friends and fans by her nickname Flicka,
she has enriched the world of classical
music for three decades.
Ms. von Stade's career has taken her
to the stages of the world's great opera
houses and concert halls. She began at
the top when she received a contract
from Sir Rudolf Bing during the
Metropolitan Opera auditions. Since her debut in 1970 she has sung nearly all of
her great roles with that company.
Unparalleled in her artistry as a
recitalist, Ms. von Stade combines
expressive vocalism and exceptional
musicianship with a rare gift for communication,
enriching audiences throughout
the world. Her repertoire encompasses
a rich variety, from the classical
style of Mozart and Haydn to the popular
songs of Broadway's greatest musicals.
She has made over 70 recordings
with every major label, including complete
operas, aria albums, symphonic
works, solo recital programs and popular
crossover albums.
Her recordings have garnered six
Grammy nominations, two Grand Prix
du Disc awards, the Deutsche
Schallplattenpreis, Italy's Premio della
Critica Discografica, and "Best of the
Year" citations by Stereo Review and
Opera News. She has also enjoyed the
distinction of simultaneously holding the
first and second places on national
sales charts for Angel/EMI's Show Boat and Telarc's The Sound of Music.
San Antonio Opera will present Ms.
von Stade on June 16 at the Lila
Cockrell Theatre at 8 pm. Accompanied
by the San Antonio Opera
Orchestra, the diva will be joined by two
of opera’s fastest-rising young talents,
soprano Cheryl Evans and tenor
Stephen Costello.
 PLÁCIDO DOMINGO RETURNS
After many years of effort and an
enormous amount of patience, San
Antonio Opera finally will see its dream
come true. At 7:30pm on June 19,
tenor superstar Plácido Domingo will
appear in San Antonio after an
absence of 20 years. Generally regarded
as the greatest tenor of modern
times, Domingo will perform a concert
that touches on the many different
genres of music he has performed,
accompanied by a 65-piece orchestra.
The concert will take place at the
Alamodome, which will be configured
for concert seating and will include a
state-of-the-art sound system that
Domingo uses for other concerts. The
concert will also feature the talents of
Argentinian soprano Virginia Tola.
At last count, Domingo had made a
total of more than 100 authorized recordings
of 65 different operas, as well as
many solo and duet discs. His recordings,
whether complete operas, aria or duet
albums or crossover material, inevitably
appear on best-seller charts. At one
time, seven of his CDs appeared simultaneously
on Billboard's top-selling charts of
classical and crossover recordings. His
repertoire of 123 different roles includes
almost all major parts in Italian and
French operas.
Domingo’s Metropolitan Opera
debut came in 1968, as Maurizio in
Adriana Lecouvreur. He has subsequently
appeared there in more than
590 performances of 42 different roles
and is now in his 38th consecutive season
with the company. He appears regularly
at all the big opera houses of the
world, including Milan's La Scala, the
Vienna State Opera, London's Covent
Garden, Paris' Bastille Opera, the San
Francisco Opera, Chicago's Lyric
Opera, the Washington National Opera,
the Los Angeles Opera, the Teatro del
Liceu in Barcelona, Teatro Colon in
Buenos Aires, the Real in Madrid, and at
the Bayreuth and Salzburg Festivals.
Plácido Domingo in Concert is sponsored
by AT&T, the Tobin Endowment,
Ewing Halsell Foundation, Kronkosky
Charitable Foundation, Russell Hill Rogers
Fund for the Arts and H-E-B. Tickets are
available through TICKETMASTER or by
calling (210) 225-5972.
A lavish post-concert dinner is being
planned at Sunset Station, where the
artist will be available to meet guests. For
more information call (210) 225-5972.
|
