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  Celebrity

  The Telegraph

  Gabriel Bacquier, French baritone and star of Covent Garden and Glyndebourne – obituary

  Gabriel Bacquier, who has died aged 95, was a French baritone who enjoyed a substantial career in English-speaking countries; he made several appearances at Covent Garden, was a virile Count Almaviva in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro at Glyndebourne in 1962, and took part in a gala concert at the Royal Opera House in 1977 to mark the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Bacquier was as much an actor as a singer, and articulation and technique were key to his success. He had a commanding presence on the conc

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  Entertainment

  The Telegraph

  Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor: the masterpiece saved from obscurity by Maria Callas

  Lucia di Lammermoor, Gaetano Donizetti A great favourite of Victorian audiences until the rising tide of Wagnerism left it seeming quaint, this beautiful opera sank into disrepute until the 1950s, when high-profile productions starring sopranos Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills led to a broader revival of interest in Donizetti’s output. Plot On the Scottish borders in the late 17th century, the once-prosperous Ashton clan is facing ruin. Ruthless Enrico (Lord Henry Ashton) decides

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  Entertainment

  The Guardian

  Royal College of Music transforms ‘forbidding’ HQ in £40m upgrade

  Royal College of Music transforms ‘forbidding’ HQ in £40m upgradeNew look will showcase stars, students – and a collection that includes world’s oldest guitar and an original Mozart score

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  Lifestyle

  The Guardian

  Mirella Freni obituary

  Mirella Freni obituaryOutstanding soprano in the great Italian operatic tradition

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  Entertainment

  The Independent

  Franco Zeffirelli: Film and opera director who revelled in the lavish and theatrical

  Franco Zeffirelli, who described his style as “lavish in scale and unashamedly theatrical”, was one of the most influential, flamboyant and controversial designer-directors of the 20th century. His Florentine background and love of the Renaissance permeated his diverse work, which encompassed theatre, cinema and his greatest love, opera.Initially an actor, then designer of sets and costumes, Zeffirelli – who has died aged 96 – confounded his mentor and lover Luchino Visconti by successfully beco

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• Lifestyle

  Business Insider UK

  Detroit opera, fine arts champion David DiChiera dies at 83

  DETROIT (AP) — Musician David DiChiera (DEE'-kee-AIR-uh), who championed opera's role in reviving downtown Detroit and directed several opera organizations nationwide, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 83.

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  News

  Evening Standard

  Semiramide review: Stupendous singer triumphs in baffling modern Babylon

  Rossini's last Italian opera, Semiramide, has over the years served as a vehicle for such divas as Joan Sutherland (La Stupenda), June Anderson and Montserrat Caballé. Nobody else is quite in the same class, though Lawrence Brownlee, with his superbly flexible high tenor, comes close as Idreno. Daniela Barcellona is a very impressive Arsace and Mirco Palazzi, who took over the role of Assur mid-performance — he was scheduled later in the run — from an indisposed Michele Pertusi, excelled himse

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