There is no jazz musician as closely intertwined with the history of jazz music as Louis Armstrong. Louis Daniel Armstrong grew up in poor conditions …
The James Stewart Story (2.)
When James Stewart returned to Hollywood after World War II, he faced his golden decade: Stewart returned as an independent actor, with no ties to any studio: a rarity in those days. Stewart’s first film in his new independence was It’s a Wonderful Life (1946): the film revived the partnership between Stewart and director Frank Capra.
The James Stewart Story (1.)
The year 1954 was a big year for James Stewart: He starred in no less than two films that have shaped the image of the …
Herbert von Karajan: The Great Meteor
“Leonard Bernstein, Sir Georg Solti, Herbert von Karajan and Seiji Ozawa sit together and discuss who of the four is the greatest conductor. Ozawa argues …
Nina Simone: The Voice of the Oppressed
Listening to Nina Simone’s interpretation of I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free, one feels spellbound by her: Yet her expressive …
Michael Jackson: His lost legacy
Michael Jackson – his hits: Billie Jean, Man In The Mirror or They Don’t Care About Us. Die-hard fans may recall his poetry apart from his songs, which he immortalized in the poetry collection Dancing The Dream. But what is often completely left out is his work in the visual arts: MJ liked to draw himself, and he also liked to have others draw him.
Dmitri Hvorostovsky: A Russian soul
Dmitri Hvorostovsky (1962-2017) lived to sing. The Russian opera baritone always knew what he wanted and always had the firm will to achieve it. In …
ADELE: 19 — A teenager’s melodies
In the fall of 2006, singer Adele Adkins had just found her manager Jonathan Dickins, who became aware of her through the music platform MySpace. …
Maria Callas: The Chanting Puma (4.)
However much Callas had grown fond of Onassis, she did not allow other people to interfere in her professional affairs. Until mid-1965, Maria Callas continued to give opera performances, albeit much less in number – despite Onassis’ advice to make films. In late 1960, she even returned to La Scala in Milan in the opera Poliuto (Gaetano Donizetti), though she did not sing the lead role.
Maria Callas: The Chanting Puma (3.)
On October 29, 1956, Maria Callas made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in the role of Norma from Vincenzo Bellini’s opera of the same name. It was not foreseen that the aria “Casta Diva” from Norma would find in Maria Callas one of its most famous interpreters: “Norma” was still quite unknown to the audience of the Met and many spectators were only coming to see Callas live for the first time.