Having your roots deep in the classics is a great way to put on a killer performance, whatever the genre. Here are a few classical musicians who have the magic touch.
Anna Netrebko
One of the world’s most acclaimed sopranos, Netrebko has appeared in a multitude of renowned roles, including Marcellina in Cosi fan tutte and Salome. Her most recent role, Concerto virtuoso in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” was so powerful that it featured on the National Geographic’s “List of the 100 Most Inspiring People in Music.”
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Beloved American soprano Schwarzkopf is still at the top of her game. She had an amazing second act at Carnegie Hall in 2007, singing Benita in Verdi’s “Diva da mamma” on an instrument once belonging to Maria Callas. Her blockbuster concert tour in 2017 showed that she’s still got a lot to say.
Pavel Kolesnikov-Tcheky
In the late 1990s, Kolesnikov-Tcheky left Russia to pursue classical music in America, where he debuted with the New York Philharmonic in 2002. Later that year, he played as part of Prokofiev’s 1983 ballet “Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker.” His YouTube channel boasts more than 2,000 videos. He’s particularly good at Mozart.
Kurt Masur
New York conductor Kurt Masur made his debut with the Met Opera in 1965 and will step down as its music director in 2020. By the time he leaves, he will have been music director for 12 years. He’s an expert at conducting Handel and Wagner as well as plenty of Mozart and Beethoven.
Natalia Makarova
Soprano Natalia Makarova’s brilliant, youthful voice has always been known for its arias. She came to classical music from a folk background and lived in a working-class Russian neighborhood in Moscow until she was 8 years old. Makarova moved to Italy in the 1970s for vocal training. With her operatic power and gorgeous mezzo-soprano voice, she is one of Russia’s most popular sopranos. She won an international competition called “La Fenice,” which was taken by three Russian sopranos in its first three editions. She’s performed several times at the Met Opera.