TUTTO VERDI – this edition to mark the Verdi bicentenary sets standards by which all similar projects will be judged. It includes all twenty-six operas by the greatest Italian stage composer, together with his immortal Requiem, all of them in definitive performances. “This is how Verdi should be played” – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on TUTTO VERDI
Verdi wrote his Messa da Requiem in 1873-74 for Alessandro Manzoni. a poet whom he much admired. Like Brahms’s German Requiem, Verdi’s Mass for the Dead is not intended for liturgical use but for the concert hall. ln addition to its profound spirituality, this masterpiece brings together the finest qualities from Verdi’s operas: endless melodic lines and captivating musico-dramatic effects.
TUTTO VERDI – this edition to mark the Verdi bicentenary sets standards by which all similar projects will be judged. It includes all twenty-six operas by the greatest Italian stage composer, together with his immortal Requiem, all of them in definitive performances from the Teatro Regio in Parma.
“This is how Verdi should be played” – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on TUTTO VERDI
TUTTO VERDI – this edition to mark the Verdi bicentenary sets standards by which all similar projects will be judged. It includes all twenty-six operas by the greatest Italian stage composer, together with his immortal Requiem, all of them in definitive performances from the Teatro Regio in Parma.
“This is how Verdi should be played” – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on TUTTO VERDI
In memory of the great Richard Wagner and mindful of their own Wagner tradition, the Staatskapelle Dresden staged this glittering gala concert in the Semperoper on the eve of Richard Wagner’s bicentenary. They were directed by their principal conductor Christian Thielemann, indisputably one of the great Wagner conductors of our time, and he was joined by the hottest young heroic tenor of recent years, Jonas Kaufmann. The programme features the overtures to the Wagner operas written and premiered in Dresden – 1842 Rienzi, 1843 The Flying Dutchman and 1845 Tannhäuser – as well as great tenor scenes from Rienzi, Tannhäuser and Lohengrin. “Star tenor Jonas Kaufmann was celebrated with bravos and tumultuous applause – as were the musicians and Thielemann.” (Focus)
Domingo creates the magical illusion that Alfano wrote the role especially for him: Domingo de Bergerac” (review of the premiere in the Madrid daily ABC). Plácido Domingo’s triumph in Valencia’s stunningly futuristic theater El Palau de les Arts in February 2007 echoes the overwhelmingly positive reception he obtained at the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in this role. A coproduction of the New York, London and Valencia houses, Franco Alfano’s little-known 1936 opera “Cyrano de Bergerac” has been reawakened to life by the great Spanish tenor. Although Alfano (1875-1954) enjoyed a long and prolific career as an opera composer, he is known today above all for having completed Puccini’s “Turandot”. His earlier works not surprisingly reflect Puccini’s verismo style, but his later works – including “Cyrano de Bergerac” – are clearly inspired by Debussy, Ravel and Strauss. Opulent scoring and colorful orchestral effects elegantly underscore the tragic story based on Rostand’s famous drama of 1897, which achieved international celebrity in the Oscar-nominated 1990 film adaptation with Gérard Depardieu. Alfano’s work faithfully relates the story of the large-nosed soldier poet who pines for the beautiful Roxane and writes her glowing love letters in the name of his fellow soldier Christian, who also loves her. At an age when most singers start contemplating retirement, Domingo unearthed this opera, which was premiered in Rome in 1936, and added the role of Cyrano to his repertoire – as the 121st of his career! Domingo had long been looking for a new role that was both a vocal and dramatic challenge. He was particularly delighted by the role’s “anti-hero” quality. “It’s a beautiful role”, he asserts, “and I’m so happy I could discover it this late in my career.” With his charismatic stage presence, Domingo clearly dominates the production, directed by Michal Znaniecki and conducted by Patrick Fournillier, one of France’s leading conductors. Nevertheless, his pairing with American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky could hardly be more felicitous, as she brings a full, dramatic voice that rises effortlessly above the work’s luxuriant orchestration. The many supporting roles are equally well cast and accompanied by the expressively playing Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana.
On the occasion of the 200th birthday of Giuseppe Verdi in 2013 one of the most important opera houses in Italy, The Teatro Regio in Parma, performes Verdi’s complete operas. As co-producer of this project, Unitel presents the operas in High Definition including 5.1 sound. An exceptional and unique project to honour the great composer! Already available are: ‘Simon Boccanegra’ (155′), ‘Luisa Miller’ (146′), ‘Giovanna d’Arco’ (130′), ‘Il Corsaro’ (90′),’ I Lombardi alla prima crociata’ (130′),’ Nabucco’ (132′),’ I due Foscari’ (114′), ‘Un giorno di regno’ (120′)
Turkish pianist twin-sisters Güher and Süher Pekinel were first discovered by Herbert von Karajan and have gained international success since their first appearance at the Salzburg Festival. They are considered one of the finest piano duos of our time. This concert focusses on composers who witnessed World War II and reflect in their works the basic values of humanism. Considering the current tragedies in the world, this recital offers a different meaning as a kind of invitation to fight against unjust sufferings. Accompanied by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra percussionists they perform milestones of the repertoire for two pianos. Both the “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story and “Ciaconna” were arranged for the Pekinel sisters under the auspices of the composers. PROGRAM Penderecki: Ciaconna (arr. For two pianos by K. Penderecki); Bartók: Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, Sz. 110; Gershwin: Three Preludes (arr. For two pianos); Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (arr. For two pianos and percussion by L. Bernstein); Lutoslawski: Variations on a Theme of Paganini (arr. For two pianos and percussion)
What more appropriate venue for Ildebrando Pizzetti’s operatic masterwork of 1958 “Assassinio nella Cattedrale” than the austere, Romanic Basilica di San Nicola in the southern Italian port city of Bari. A striking coincidence: the action of T. S. Eliot’s stage play “Murder in the Cathedral”, on which the opera is based, takes place in December 1170; the Basilica di San Nicola also dates from the 12th century and was consecrated in 1197… Pizzetti, one of Italy’s leading lyrical composers of the first half of the 20th century, composed several operas, of which “Assassinio nella Cattedrale” is one of his most famous. It unites all the elements of his lyrical style, such as a supple arioso treatment of the text that bears echoes of Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” as well as of Monteverdi and the Florentine monodists; and powerful, surging choral movements that are even more breathtaking when performed in a church. Pizzetti’s religiosity also manifests itself in his choice of T.S. Eliot’s modern-day miracle play about St. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who returns from a seven-year-exile only to be confronted by various torments, including Four Temptations; he succumbs to the fourth, the temptation of martyrdom… Internationally acclaimed bass-baritone Ruggero Raimondi, at home on all of the world’s major stages and unforgotten as Don Giovanni in Joseph Losey’s celebrated 1979 film, brings the firmness and authority of his vocal artistry to this role, elevating it to one of the most passionate and intriguing portrayals of a 20th-century operatic hero.
