In honour of Italian poet and writer Alessandro Manzoni, Maestro Riccardo Frizza conducts this special performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem in the grand, historic cathedral of Milan with the Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Choir of Milan. Verdi composed his masterpiece of sacred music in 1874 to pay homage to Manzoni on the first anniversary of his death. In this celebration of two greats of Italian culture and history, the orchestra was joined by a vocal cast composed of Serena Farnocchia, soprano, Anna Maria Chiuri, mezzo-soprano, Luciano Ganci, tenor, and Luiz-Ottavio Faria, bass. “This work is so great because it is the affirmation of the personal feelings that a human being faces during mourning, which comes to us through the anguish, pain, and hope that the strength of Verdi’s music expresses.” Maestro Frizza said in an interview with Gramiliano.
Don Giovanni
When it comes to Mozartian perfection on the opera stage, one needn’t always seek it in Milan, Vienna, Salzburg or New York. At the Sferisterio Opera Festival in the central Italian city of Macerata, a rapt audience was treated to a production ‘that will enter the annals of opera’ (ForumOpera.com). This ‘splendid production’ (OperaClick) by Pier Luigi Pizzi sweeps the viewer into a libertine, 18thcentury society dominated by erotic impulses.
Rigoletto
Verdi´s Rigoletto, one of his most successful operas, is based on Victor Hugo’s play Le roi s’amuse, which for Verdi was the greatest drama of the present day. The “spectacular production“ (La Vanguardia) at the Gran Teatre del Liceu “under excellent musical direction by Riccardo Frizza“, “the dramatic depth of Carlos Álvarez and the triumphant debut of Javier Camarena as Duke of Mantua“ (El Periodico) made it a “top-class Rigoletto“. (bachtrack.com) “A production with this simplicity requires outstanding direction, which is achieved here“ (Seen and Heard International) and is crowned by the colourful costumes of the Oscarwinning Sandy Powell
Don Giovanni
When it comes to Mozartian perfection on the opera stage, one needn’t always seek it in Milan, Vienna, Salzburg or New York! At the Sferisterio Opera Festival in the central Italian city of Macerata, a rapt audience was treated to a production of Don Giovanni “that will enter the annals of opera” (ForumOpera.com). This magnificent reading of Mozart’s timeless masterpiece sweeps the viewer into a libertine, 18th- century society dominated by sensuality and erotic impulses. They are acted out on the stage’s main prop, a large, unmade bed, not only by Don Giovanni, but also by just about everyone else in the “nearly faultless cast” (ForumOpera.com). In his role debut as the title hero, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo is “incandescent” (Gazzetta die Parma) and “doesn’t do Don Giovanni; he is the Don. Unsurpassable”(24 Ore).
Don Giovanni
When it comes to Mozartian perfection on the opera stage, one needn’t always seek it in Milan, Vienna, Salzburg or New York! At the Sferisterio Opera Festival in the central Italian city of Macerata, a rapt audience was treated to a production of Don Giovanni “that will enter the annals of opera” (ForumOpera.com). This magnificent reading of Mozart’s timeless masterpiece sweeps the viewer into a libertine, 18th- century society dominated by sensuality and erotic impulses. They are acted out on the stage’s main prop, a large, unmade bed, not only by Don Giovanni, but also by just about everyone else in the “nearly faultless cast” (ForumOpera.com). In his role debut as the title hero, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo is “incandescent” (Gazzetta die Parma) and “doesn’t do Don Giovanni; he is the Don. Unsurpassable”(24 Ore).
Verdi: Falstaff
At Festival Verdi, the city of Parma celebrates its most distinguished son, Giuseppe Verdi, with exceptional stagings such as Jacopo Spirei’s take on the composer’s last opera “Falstaff”. In a contemporary British setting, Italian baritone Roberto de Candia gives a hilarious performance in the title role, but at the same time manages to outline’s Falstaff’s melancholy. The role of the jealous husband is played by Giorgio Caoduro, who exhibits “excellent vocal qualities, his timbre clear and vibrant, his intonation perfect.” (Bachtrack) Riccardo Frizza conducts the bittersweet comedy.