Opera
Andrea Bocelli Delivers Stunning Christmas Performance from Inside Italy’s Frasassi Caves: Watch
Andrea Bocelli is truly the gift that keeps on giving. The famed singer has already delivered two inspiring performances in 2020 — first an Easter Sunday concert in Milan titled “Music For Hope”, followed by “Believe in Christmas”, a holiday show done in collaboration with his own young daughter Virginia. But it turns out Bocelli has been saving the best for last. To close out the year, the Grammy-nominated opera legend performed a magical Christmas set from inside Italy’s famed Frasassi Caves. Surrounded by stunning and surreal limestone formations, Bocelli sung timeless classics like “White Christmas” and “Silent Night”. He also did “Caro Gesù Bambino”, “Pianissimo”, and “Fratello Sole Sorella Luna (Dolce è sentire)”. What’s more, Bocelli also gave a special poetry reading. His piece cau...
Liturgy Announce New Album Origin of the Alimonies, Share “Lonely OIOION”: Stream
Liturgy have announced the release of their fifth studio album, Origin of the Alimonies, which is the soundtrack to the band’s opera of the same name. The album arrives November 20th, and Liturgy have offered up a preview with the new song “Lonely OIOION”. Origin of the Alimonies was originally announced last year alongside 2019’s excellent H.A.Q.Q.. Both albums were planned for a 2020 release, but the band’s chief songwriter and leader Hunter Hunt-Hendrix altered those plans, surprise releasing H.A.Q.Q. while holding back Origin, which had previously been performed live as a proper opera. The move worked out, giving each album the spotlight it rightfully deserves. H.A.Q.Q. was greeted with overwhelming praise for its combination of composed black metal and Hunt-Hendrix’s microtonal produc...
Opera Launches New Android and Desktop Browser Update
Opera has revealed new versions of its Android and desktop browsers – Android version 60 and Opera for desktop version 71. The new version of Opera’s flagship browser for Android ships with a completely redesigned Sync feature that uses a straight-forward QR-code reader to establish a seamless connection between Opera for Android and the Opera desktop browser on Windows, macOS or Linux. The latest version of Opera’s desktop browser, on the other hand, introduces a useful Easy Files feature. When attaching files in the Opera browser, Easy Files presents the user with their most recently downloaded files in a visual form, helping them select the desired files quickly, without having to search through folders or remember the file names. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_645.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: le...
Nigerians embrace British Council digital library
As part of efforts to restore and encourage a reading culture among Nigerians, the UK embassy’s British Council in Nigeria has launched a globally renowned digital library following temporary closure of its physical libraries. The newly launched digital library is to facilitate self-paced convenient learning, make educational and entertainment resources available and also provide access to numerous IELTS preparation content to support a large number of Nigerian youth and test takers. According to the British Council Country Director, Nigeria and West Africa Lead, Lucy Pearson, for many years, the British Council has been renowned all over the world for its libraries and the closure of its physical libraries in Nigeria was a sad one. Lucy said she is delighted to see the launch of the new B...
RNC Closes with Covers of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” as Fireworks Spell “Trump 2020”
Last night, Donald Trump accepted the Republican party’s nomination to be President of the United States. As the RNC came to a close, and as fireworks lit up the Washington Monument with the words “Trump 2020”, the norm-shattering display was soundtracked by two different covers of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” . The Canadian Cohen’s most famous song — a moving exploration of spirituality, humility, and orgasms — was first heard in a cover by Tori Kelly, in between “She’s a Grand Old Flag” and “God Bless the USA”. Minutes later, “Hallelujah” received a much-louder on-camera encore from opera singer Christopher Macchio. As Variety reports, Kelly tweeted out that she had been, “Seeing messages about my version of ‘Hallelujah,’”and added, “All i know is neither myself nor my team rec...
Barcelona Opera House Reopens with Concert for Over 2,000 Houseplants
There’s lots of talk in opera these days about organically growing the audience, and now Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu has found a new and (literally) fresh approach. As CNN reports, the Spanish opera house reopened after months of coronavirus lockdowns with a performance for 2,292 houseplants. Conceptual artist Eugenio Ampudia created the event, featuring music provided by UceLi string quartet. The ensemble played the Puccini elegy, “Crisantemi”, which translates to “chrysanthemums”, a fitting piece for the unique crowd in attendance Monday evening. Hailing from nearby nurseries, the “audience” of plants — verdant trees, ferns, and grasses — carpeted the orchestra section as well as the balconies above. At the conclusion of “Crisantemi”, the gorgeous flora was made to applaud. Th...
Andrea Bocelli Recovers from COVID-19
Andrea Bocelli has revealed that he himself recently recovered from COVID-19. The 61-year-old opera singer said in a Facebook post that he was initially diagnosed in March, but chose to keep the news private because he “didn’t want to unnecessarily alarm my fans and also wished to protect my family’s privacy.” Fortunately, Bocelli had a “swift and full recovery by the end of March.” In fact, by Easter (April 12th) he was well enough to stage a special special solo performance from the famed Duomo cathedral in Milan, Italy. Bocelli also went on to reveal that he has donated his blood in hopes that it’ll help find a curse for COVID-19. “A modest — but fundamental — gesture, through which I am playing my small part,” he commented. In a separate interview with the Wall Street Journal...
Stephen King’s The Shining: The Opera Streaming for Free
All work and no play makes life dull for opera fans, which is why this piece of news should get them singing again. As Bloody Disgusting points out, the Minnesota Opera is streaming an audio recording of its 2016 production of The Shining. At the time, the production sold out its entire two-week run at St. Paul’s Ordway Theater, making this all the more of a sweet treat for fans who never snagged tickets. Granted, it’s only audio, but hey, we take what we can get. Written by Mark Campbell and composer Paul Moravec, The Shining works heavily from King’s novel. However, Bloody Disgusting says the production also “borrowed flourishes from the Stanley Kubrick film adaptation,” writing “the Overlook’s ghostly residents … were represented by a combination of light projections and live performers...
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