Opera Chic

Ballet in the Age of Baggy Tights

The British Council Film Collection's released some of its documentaries from the 1940s, including this short one "Steps of the Ballet" with British choreographer Andrée Howard, Australian composer Arthur Benjamin, Royal Ballet dancers Gerd Larsen and Alexander Grant and the Philharmonia Orchestra.

"Domingo Placido" in The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail's interviewed "arguably the greatest tenor on the planet" to plug his upcoming Turandot ~extravaganza~ at Wembley and in trademark DM style, they've gotten everything wrong, starting with his name.

ENO & Terry Gilliam (& Berlioz) Take the Award

The English National Opera was awarded the South Bank Sky Arts Award in opera for its spring 2011 new production of Berlioz's Damnation of Faust in Terry Gilliam's opera directing debut. The ceremony was held two days ago at the Dorchester in London and some other cool stuff won, including Sherlock for best TV drama. Cumberbached!

Opera Chic & Grazia.it: Juan Francesco Gatell's Bel Canto Flavor

Blazing bel canto roles across international opera stages, Juan Francesco Gatell spoke to OC for her latest Grazia.it column as he had just wrapped-up a Teatro dell'Opera di Roma Barbiere. From a great legacy of Argentinean tenors like José Cura and Marcelo Álvarez, we've been following Juan Francesco Gatell as one of the promising young singers nurtured by Riccardo Muti (always a good sign -- we saw Gatell in 2006 in a Ravenna/Muti Don Pasquale and a year later in a Salzburg/Muti Don Calandrino from the image below) so we were curious to hear about his latest projects (aside from being new daddy to his newborn daughter Júlia).

Read it here on Grazia.it!

Alpine Men's Chorus A Capella for Purple Rain

Yeah, we know. There are too many awesome things going on in that title. Above, a promo clip for a new Italian comedy show from Paolo Rossi, featuring the Alpini chorus of the Italian armed force's mountain infantry, the oldest in the world.

Here's the Coro Alpino Milanese. Their Youtube channel is as heartwarming as it is awesome.