Lord Harewood, Opera book editor dies

George Lascelles, the seventh Earl of Harewood, a member of the British royal family who was an internationally recognized writer on opera, died on July 11 at Harewood House, his family’s home near Leeds. He was 88. George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, KBE AM (7 February 1923 – 11 July 2011), styled The Hon. George Lascelles before 1929 and Viscount Lascelles between 1929 and 1947, was the elder son of the 6th Earl of Harewood (1882–1947), and Princess Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary. He had a younger brother, The Honourable Gerald Lascelles. Lord Harewood was the eldest nephew of King George VI and was a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He succeeded to his father's earldom on 23 May 1947. A music enthusiast, Lord Harewood devoted most of his career to opera. He served as editor of Opera magazine from 1950 to 1953 and as director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden from 1951 to 1953 and again from 1969 to 1972. He served as chairman of the board of the English National Opera (ENO) from 1986 to 1995; Managing Director of the ENO from 1972 to 1985; artistic director of the Edinburgh, Adelaide and Leeds Festivals; Managing Director of the ENO offshoot English National Opera North from 1978 to 1981. Lord Harewood served as a governor of the BBC from 1985 to 1987 and as the president of the British Board of Film Classification from 1985 to 1996. He was the author or editor of three books, Kobbé's Complete Opera Book (ed. 1954, now The New Kobbé's Opera Book, edited with Antony Peattie, latest ed. 1997), The Tongs and the Bones (an autobiography, 1981), and Kobbé's Illustrated Opera Book (ed. 1989).

Wikipedia | Search Amazon.com for Kobbé's Illustrated Opera Book

Elisabeth Soderstrom dies

Swedish soprano Elisabeth Soderstrom, an international opera star, has died in Stockholm early Friday 20 NOV 2009 of complications from a stroke.
Soderstrom was 82. She made her debut in 1947 at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre, singing in one of Mozart's lesser-known works.
WIKI BIO
Available Recordings

Italian tenor Gianni Raimondi has died at age 85

Raimondi, who sang with diva Maria Callas and other opera legends, has died aged 85, Milan's La Scala opera house said Friday. Raimondi died on Sunday, 19 OCT 2008, at his home in Pianoro near Bologna in central Italy. La Scala said in in a statement that he had requested that his death not be announced until after his private funeral. La Scala described Raimondi, who was born in 1923, as having "one of the biggest voices of his time." Raimondi gave 270 performances, including a standout display in Luchino Visconti's 1956 version of Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata". He appeared in Vienna, Berlin, London and New York and worked with Callas and orchestra great Herbert von Karajan at La Scala.

WEB - IMAGES - SHOP Gianni Raimondi

Tenor Mark Lundberg dies at age 50

Lundberg's management company says the singer died Friday, 15 August 2008, in Long Island after a brief illness. The cause of death wasn't released. Lundberg made his debut in Brussels in the 2006-07 season as Tristan in "Tristan und Isolde." He sang bass and baritone for many years before making the transition to dramatic tenor roles. Lundberg was to perform the role of Samson in "Samson & Dalila" with the Pitsburgh Opera later this year. Officials there say he competed at the regional finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions as a bass, baritone and tenor.

WEB - Management Site - Available Recordings

Dutch tenor John van Kesteren dies at 87

Sir John van Kesteren, a Dutch operatic tenor who sang in some of the finest opera houses and concert halls in the world during a career that spanned more than five decades, died Friday. He was 87. Kesteren, who made his operatic debut in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, in 1947, was known as an outstanding Bach and Mozart interpreter, performing as the Evangelist in Bach's Passion in over 400 performances in cities all over the world. At British composer Benjamin Britten's suggestion, Kesteren sang at the first German performance of Britten's War Requiem with the Berlin Philharmonic. MORE
ON THE WEB | IMAGES | SHOP John van Kesteren

Joan Sutherland injured...

DAME Joan Sutherland has broken both legs at her home in Switzerland. The Sydney-born opera great is in a Swiss hospital after breaking her legs in a fall in her garden. The 81-year-old has had to cancel planned appearances in Australia and is likely to spend up to eight weeks in hospital. NEWS SOURCES | IMAGES | SHOP Joan Sutherland

RENE BIANCO Birth Centennial

21 JUNE 1908 Birth of French baritone Rene BIANCO in Constantine. Debut as Basilio in Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) 1934. Bianco performed regularly at the Paris Opera with a large repertoire of classics- especially works by Verdi, Gounod and Bizet. He taught voice until his retirement then lived in the Lyon region until his death in Charbonnieres-les-Bains on January 23, 2008.

SHOP Rene Bianco

Natasha Marsh

Natasha Marsh, 32, is the voice of the theme music for ITV's Euro 2008 coverage. Her debut album, 'Amour' reached No 1 on the classical chart in 2007; her next album, 'Natasha Marsh', is released on 23 June


MORE | ON THE WEB | IMAGES | SHOP Natasha Marsh

Voigt Returns to Opera Role at Center of Firing

All Things Considered, June 13, 2008 - Opera singer Deborah Voigt will be reprising the title role in "Ariadne auf Naxos" at London's Royal Opera House next week. The role is one from which she was fired in 2004 because of her weight.
NPR, LISTEN LINK | ON THE WEB | IMAGES | SHOP Deborah Voigt

Remembering Wayne Connor

Operatic tenor Wayne Conner was a classical-music radio personality as well as a teacher at The Curtis Institute of Music, The Academy of Vocal Arts and the Peabody Institute. For 30 years, he also produced and hosted WHYY's "Singer's World" and "Collector's Corner." Connor died May 9 of liver cancer at the age of 79.

Fresh Air from WHYY, June 12, 2008 | ON THE WEB

Thomas Quasthoff: a baritone's memoir

As well-known as it is, Quasthoff's story is still remarkable, from thalidomide baby who was rejected from a prestigious music academy, to an international singing career and three Grammy awards.
WEB LINKS | IMAGES | SHOP Thomas Quasthoff

"An Inconvenient Truth" to become an opera?

Now the next stop for Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" is opera. La Scala officials say the Italian composer Giorgio Battistelli has been commissioned to write the score. MORE

GORE | Giorgio Battistelli | SHOP Giorgio Battistelli | SHOP Al Gore