The Art of Christiane Eda-Pierre Finally Gets Its Day on Decca

Nearly 2 years ago, a post was developed in the "From the Vault" series on Opera Fresh complaining about the lack of releases from soprano Christiane Eda-Pierre's discography. Well, at long last the public will be able to savor this wonderful artist's catalog drawn from Philips Classics recordings that will be issued now on the Decca label for a launch date of May 27, 2013. Pre-order by clicking here.

Happy Operatic Mother's Day Brought To You By Coloratura Fan

Renée Fleming in Conversation with Leon Botstein and André Previn

Last night was the finale of Renée Fleming's Perspectives series at Carnegie Hall called "Vienna: Window to Modernity," a thoughtful tribute to the time and place where the European musical tradition, under the influence of literary and visual arts, gave way to the 20th century. Here, Ms. Fleming, composer and conductor André Previn, and conductor and music historian Leon Botstein discuss how several of the major Viennese composers of the period—Korngold, Schoenberg, and Zeisl—spent a lot of time in Los Angeles and how their experiences there differed widely. More information about Renée Fleming's Perspectives at Carnegie Hall is available: http://www.carnegiehall.org/fleming/ and http://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2013/5/4/0730/PM/Vienna-Window-to-Modernity/. Watch the video clip, along with two previous others, after the jump.

First Public Performance of Anna Netrebko Singing Lady Macbeth

As part of the opening night gala for the new Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, soprano Anna Netrebko sang selections from Macbeth (Verdi), Don Giovanni (Mozart), and Iolanta (Tchaikovsky), extraordinarily back-to-back. Many more pictures, and a video of the entire gala, are after the jump.

One (Namesake) Table That Manon Would Not Be Wishing Adieu

"From the people that brought you Brasserie Pushkin comes Manon, a bi-level Meatpacking fun house opening on May Day. This place has everything: crystal chandeliers, overstuffed leather couches, Corinthian columns, cocktails by Aaron Polsky, a bar made of glowing blue glass, a food menu by Public veteran Tae Strain, clay cherubs, pastries by a former EMP staffer, Amish chicken, Chatham cod, Denver lamb loin, Long Island duck breast, Jerusalem artichoke soup, Berkshire pork chops, and we're just getting started here." [Source]

Sumi Jo and Cecilia Bartoli: A 25-year Working Relationship

A video from circa 1987 shows Sumi Jo and Cecilia Bartoli working together with Herbert von Karajan in an excerpt of "Et in unum dominum" from Bach's Mass in B minor. Now more than 25 years later, they team up again for a recording of Bellini's Norma on Decca. 

Bass-Baritone Donovan Singletary Gives German TV Interview

A native of Crestview, Florida, Mr. Singletary received his Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Stetson University in Deland, Florida, and pursued additional music studies at the Mannes College of Music in New York City. He is a Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals Winner, where he was the youngest competitor, and won the Met's then-General Director, Joseph Volpe Award. He was the 2011 Sullivan Foundation Major Grand Winnter and was awarded the 2011 Vienna Prize by the George London Foundation. He is also a top prize winner in several other competitions, including First Prize in the 2010 George London Foundation Competition, Second Prize in the 2010 Loren L. Zachary International Vocal Competition, First Prize in the 2009 Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, First Prize in the 2009 Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition, Second Prize in the 2009 Mario Lanza Vocal Competition, Second Prize in the Licia Albanese-Puccini Competition, First Prize in the Mt. Dora Festival Competition, First Prize in the Heinz Rehfuss Singing Actors Competition, and he was awarded the Betty Allen Award from the Sullivan Foundation. He was also named the 2010 World Premiere Artist for the Negro Spiritual Foundation. For more information, visit his official website here.

Kathleen Battle Makes Waffles and Grits with B. Smith in 1997

From the television show B. Smith With Style in 1997, Miss Kathleen Battle joins in to make a brunch of waffles and grits. Watch the clip after the jump.

Bryn Terfel Talks About Getting Golf Time in Down Under

Terfel at the 2010 at the Ryder Cup golf tournament.

"The booming bass-baritone - an operatic superstar - seizes every opportunity to play courses around the world. And this week in Melbourne has been no exception with Terfel shuttling between Hamer Hall and Royal Melbourne Golf Club. 'Oh, it's the best, just beautiful,' the barrel-chested Welshman says of Royal Melbourne. 'I'm not a very good golfer. I'm a calm golfer and it doesn't faze me that I can't par every hole but if I have a couple of good shots, that always brings me back to the course.' But how does this powerhouse singer motivate himself?

Dressers Featured Backstage of "Giulio Cesare" at the MET

"Dressers Suzi Gomez-Pizzo and Lou Valantasis prepare Natalie Dessay and David Daniels for their roles as Cleopatra and Caesar for a performance of Handel's Giulio Cesare, directed by David McVicar, at the New York Metropolitan Opera. Photographs by Mike McGregor for the Guardian." Watch the slide show here.

Ms. Gomez-Pizzo was also featured dressing another MET opera diva in the New York Times. Check out the photo and link after the jump.

Harry Bicket To Spend More Time in the Summer Desert

(Photo: Richard Haughton)

"Harry Bicket, the British early music specialist, is to be the next chief conductor of Santa Fe Opera, starting in October. He succeeds conductor Frederic Chaslin, who resigned last August after just two seasons on the job, saying he wanted to focus on composing and his duties as music director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Bicket's appointment, announced on Wednesday morning, is to some extent an indication of the inroads Baroque music has made in the traditional operatic establishment. He is currently manning the pit in Handel’s Giulio Cesare at the Metropolitan Opera. His opera resume also includes Handel performances at the Royal Opera House, the Glyndebourne Festival and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment." [Source]

Record Store Performances Are a Thing of the Past

File this under "Things You Will Never See Again." An opera singer making an impromptu performance at a public appearance in a record store. At least we have video proof that a halcyon day truly existed.