Isabella Colbran News
Spanish opera singer and composer
Commemorations 2025 (Birth: Isabella Colbran)
- coloratura soprano
- opera
- Spain
- opera singer, composer
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2024-03-28
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2022-07-16 12:59:29
Not a kilt in sight: Jacopo Spirei's fascinating production of Rossini's La donna de lago at Buxton
[…] early historical period. Of the men in Elena's life, Duglas (David Ireland, her father), Malcom (Catherine Carby, her beloved), Rodrigo (John Irvin, her betrothed) and Uberto (Nico Darmanin, the King in disguise with whom she flirts), only Malcom treats her in any way well. Neither John Irvin's Rodrigo nor Nico Darmanin's Uberto came out of the production well, the first a psychopath, the second highly manipulative.Maire Flavin probably has a higher, lighter voice than Isabella Colbran, for whom Rossini wrote the role of Elena. Yet Flavin made the role own, producing streams of poised roulades that were expressive in their own right, and crowning this with a delightful account of 'Tanti affetti'), Elena's final rondo. Yet Flavin also created a believable and appealing character, her demure, submissive outward appearance hiding a stronger, steelier interior.The opera is defined by Elena's interactions with the men in her life. Demure and obedient, all […]
2022-03-16 06:51:54
BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Saturday, March 16, 1822:
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) today marries Isabella Colbran (1785-1845), former prima donna of the Teatro San Carlo and frequent leading lady of his operas. She also was the former mistress of the impresario of the Teatro San Carlo, Domenico Barbaja (1777-1841). The wedding takes place in a small church, Our Lady …
2021-08-15 08:47:09
Making the most of opportunity: a brilliant young cast in Rossini's early farsa with British Youth Opera
[…] great effect. Particularly telling was her big aria when she tells both Alberto and Parmenione off, they are not deciding things neatly between the two of them, she will decide whom she marries. It was a finely confident performance, imbuing the heroine with the sort of strength of character which is needed in these operas as otherwise she descends simply into being a canary. I would love to hear Fisk in one of the Isabella Colbran roles Rossini's serious operas. As Berenice's companion, Laura Fleur proved delightfully sunny and engaging, a lively presence yet someone for whom complexity lay underneath. And vocally, Fleur provided a lovely foil to Fisk, and impressed in her solo moments. For one brief moment, I wondered whether Newlyn was going to give us a triple wedding, as there seemed to be a brief frisson between Joe Chalmers' Martino and Sam Harris' Eusebio, but that did […]
2021-01-17 10:27:27
A Life On-Line: Julia Child and Little Tich in music, Rossini's Armida at the Met
[…] have great fun. A real musical and dramatic tour de force, yet an amusing delight too. [Opera Philadelphia] We also caught up with Rossini's Armida in a broadcast of a 2010 performance from the Metropolitan Opera with Rene Fleming, John Osborn, Lawrence Brownlee and Barry Banks, conducted by Riccardo Frizza and directed by Mary Zimmerman. The opera is unusual for Rossini, for a start there is only one soprano role (taken in 1817 by Isabella Colbran, the reigning diva at Naples opera), and there are six tenor roles (though a lot of doubling) with the famous (and unique) trio for three tenors in Act Three. The middle act moves from the 'real' world to Armida's magical realm, complete with a ballet sequence, all relatively unusual in Rossini and he clearly enjoyed writing seductive and varied music. Yet apart from Armida (Fleming) and Rinaldo (Brownlee), no-one else gets much air-time and […]
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