Born on 15 October 1932 in Tartu, Jaan Rääts was one of the reformers of Estonian music. Rääts was part of a new generation of composers that brought Estonian music into the modern mainstream. Embracing the styles, philosophies and techniques

French cellist Anne Gastinel early on established a reputation as one of the finest cellists of her generation. Winning several major international competitions, including Scheveningen, Prague, and Rostropovich, she represented France in the Eurovision Competition in Vienna. Her recordings have

Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow) became the third full operatic collaboration between Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Premiered on 10 October 1919 at the Vienna State Opera, the work is a complex mixture of operatic

Among today’s finest viola virtuosos, Tabea Zimmermann is lauded for her superb technique and an ample and supple tone. An artist of rare profundity, she was a prize winner at several international competitions, and she made her US début in

Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit is renowned for polished and idiomatic interpretations of an eclectic array of musical styles. He has energetically travelled the globe in search of excellence and demonstrated a great affinity to French and Russian music, specifically in

The Greek legend of Orpheus—his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride, Eurydice, back to the world of the living—is central to the emergence of opera. Orpheus was not only the legendary hero of Greek

The bass-baritone Ruggero Raimondi catapulted to world fame both as an actor and a singer not long after making his debut in Spoleto in 1964. Immediately in the highest demand for his vocal mastery and stage presence, Raimondi worked with

On 30 September 1935, the Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, hosted the world premiere performance of Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin. It was the try-out run for the first Broadway showing at Alvin Theatre in New York City on