Above / Image: La Sortie de l’opéra en l’an 2000
(Leaving the opera in the year 2000)
by French illustrator Albert Robida (via Public Domain Review)

ACCLAIMED ARTISTS DISCUSS OPERA MASTERWORKS

A new exclusive audio compilation of interviews made during the last three decades

The commentaries spoken by acclaimed performers that have been compiled here exclusively for Hampsong Foundation have been recorded over the last three decades by Jon Tolansky.

The commentaries range from lengthy in-depth discussions to very short observations, the latter nevertheless having important value.  Seventy-one operas in total are covered, and coincidentally there are 71 artists in total speaking.

Some operas receive a sizeable number of commentaries from a number of artists, sometimes with divergent comparative views, while there are other operas that are discussed by as few as one or two artists.

Thus this collection is not remotely offering a comprehensively balanced picture of commentaries on opera’s enormous opera repertoire.  On the contrary, it is simply but exclusively preserving the invaluable thoughts, observations, and insights of outstanding acclaimed performers who have discussed specific topics either in detail or in brief during the last 30 or so years.  Most of these artists are or were singers, but there are also several conductors and a few stage directors.