Author Archives: Alexander Flor

Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” as a Baroque Aria. Or: How a problem is solved by a singer as a commissioner | by A. Flor

As a coloratura soprano, Simone Kermes specializes in the virtuosic music of the early eighteenth-century dramma per musica, primarily singing pieces composed by Georg Friedrich Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, and their lesser-known contemporaries. Critics often call her the “Lady Gaga of Baroque music,” a nickname she now embraces, skillfully navigating between the realms of Baroque and pop. What makes her fascinating is her ability to handle the demanding music of the eighteenth-century castrati and prime donne – while fearlessly embracing various elements of pop culture.

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