Elizabeth F. Gentner

Remembering Eva Turner

A dramatic soprano of the highest caliber, who made, Turandot one of Puccini’s most challenging roles her own. This recording of her In questa reggia is one of my favorites! A little fun: If you skip to about 3:40, this is one of those adorable and suave things that Placido Domingo does that makes him one …
Eva Turner on Turandot

The great Dame Eva Turner expounds on the Character that she made her own!
Peter and the Wolf #TodayInOpera

Happy Birthday to Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev! Born #TodayInOpera 1891, the composer from the Ukraine has a wide variety of compositions that have made their way into the core repertoire. One such masterpiece is Петя и волк, Petya i volk or Peter and the Wolf! I truly don’t have a count for how many times I’ve heard …
Valentine’s Day at the Opera

Franco Corelli sings “E lucevan le stelle” from Puccini’s Tosca This is the aria, sung by the man, from the opera. It can bring me to tears before the clarinet finishes its first few notes. I know every word, every note and every breath. I’ll never sing this, myself. I know how this story ends. I know how it …
Idomeneo #TodayInOpera

In 1781, Mozart’s grand opera Idomeneo premiered with Mozart conducting the Bavarian State Opera (Bayerische Staatsoper) in the Residence Theater (Residenztheater) in Munich (München). The above scene, performed by dramatic soprano Hildegard Behrens, is just prior to the finale of the opera. Elettra has just been told by the gods that she will not be with …