Inspired by the novel of the same name by Abbé Prévost, Puccini achieved his first great triumph with Manon Lescaut. The story of the rise and fall of the courtesan Manon was written with a haunting music, faithful to the principles of the verisme. In this production Liudmyla Monastyrska “one of the most important voices of today“ (Beckmesser.com) has a “magnificent voice“ (Operawire), Gregory Kunde’s Des Grieux “is genuinely Puccinian“ (opera online) and “Carlos Chausson … offered a masterful performance“ (bachtrack). Conductor Emmanuel Villaume “provides a vehement and passionate musical reading.“ (El Mundo)
Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera is a poignant love story between two complex, mature characters torn between their desires, loyalties and the inevitable consequences of their choices. In this production, stage director Vincent Boussart delves deeply into the theme of masks, revealing a rich interplay of drama and comedy, human duplicity, lies and truth. “The two male protagonists, Piotr Beczala as Riccardo and Carlos Alvarez as Renato, were the outstanding performances for the evening.” (Bachtrack) “A deeply moving play of masquerade and humanity” (El País)
Le Siège de Corinthe
When Rossini’s opera Le Siège de Corinthe was premiered in 1826 in Paris it became a huge success all over Europe. The Rossini Opera Festival presents the opera in a new production from Carlus Padrissa of the Barcelona collective La Fura dels Baus, “which here has one of its most interesting shows” (connessiallopera.it). Artisticly “Roberto Abbado holds the ranks excellently and supports a well-cohesive and balanced cast” (L’ape musicale) “where bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni growled fearsomely as Sultan Mahomet, tenor Sergey Romanovsky as Néoclès matched a warm tone with pinging top notes, and tenor John Irvin was self-assured as Cléomène, but soprano Nino Machaidze as Pamyra thrilled most of all, as she purred effortlessly through pyrotechnic coloratura” (Financial Times).
Il barbiere di Siviglia
Rossini´s masterpiece Il barbiere di Siviglia is a fast-paced, thrilling opera featuring a lot of popular arias. Staged by Herbert Fritsch as a colourful, turbulent, diversely choreographed piece it is extraordinary musical theater: “A feast for the ears against a colourful backdrop.” (DLF Kultur) “With largely sensational musical performances” (Kurier). Juan Diego Floréz “fulfils all expectations of a Rossini singer in a class of his own” (BR Klassik), “witty and vocally profound is Ildar Abdrazakov as Basilio” (Der Standard) while Vasilisa Berzhanskaya “is convincing in her house debut as Rosina.” (DLF Kultur)
Romeo and Juliette
Romeo and Juliet is the most famous love story of all time. In Charles Gounod’s operatic adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona “Saimir Pirgu and Aida Garifullina mesmerize as the tragic lovers.“ (Euronews) Charles Gounod is one of the great representatives of French lyric drama and due to his famous aria “Je veux vivre,” ravishing melodies, magical duets and the unique ballet scene in Act IV, Roméo et Juliette continues to gain much popularity. This production by Stephen Lawless once again demonstrates the abundance of ideas that Shakespeare’s legendary tale is able to inspire, even in the 21st century. In addition to the lavish stage sets and the carefully chosen costumes and props, the production captivates the audience thanks to its refined dramaturgical logic: “Lawless successfully creates a dignified and logical background to the ongoing story […].” (Metropolitan Barcelona)
La donna del lago
Rossini’s La donna del lago, premièred in 1819 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, is a masterpiece based on the poem The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott, which is full of passion and romantic frisson. “With characteristic boldness, Michieletto reformulates this glittering music into something otherworldly” (Financial Times) and the performance is “musically brilliant.” (Die Presse.com) “Marko Mimica and Varduhi Abrahamyan produce strong performances as Douglas and Malcom respectively. Flórez is laser like and fresh as ever and thrilling brutish …“ (Financial Times) while the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: “Michele Mariotti and his outstanding orchestra were the stars of the evening.“
Tosca
“La Scala’s season opens with a powerful Tosca” (Financial Times). Premiered in 1900 with huge success, Puccini’s “melodramma” Tosca is one of the most dramatic thrillers in the history of opera. In this performance Riccardo Chailly conducted “a magnificent orchestra and a sonorous choir” (NMZ) while Anna Netrebko had sung “phenomenally. She still has one of the most beautiful voices today.” (Deutschlandfunk) With “Francesco Meli, probably unsurpassable in this role at the moment: lyrically soft, and then again impressively expressive”, and Luca Salsi also “very convincing as the slick, power-conscious Scarpia” (BR Klassik), La Scala has engaged the highest-calibre partners imaginable.
Turandot
Video artist Franc Aleu, who belongs to the artists’ group La Fura dels Baus, sets the exciting Puccini opera Turandot into the future. With projection mapping and 3D technology in the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the play about the cruel princess is shown in a spectacular, visually striking new way. The great vocal cast including Irene Theorin, “a powerful-voiced Turandot, Jorge de Leon, a sovereign Calaf and Soprano Ermonela Jaho, who sings a touching Liu“ (Das Opernmagazin) is leaded by conductor Josep Pons “in great form“ (forumopera.com).
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
Siberia
Umberto Giordano’s opera Siberia with its libretto by Puccini’s successful librettist Luigi Illica (La bohème, Tosca) premiered in 1903 at La Scala as a replacement of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which was not finished at the time. Madama Butterfly came out in Milan shortly after Siberia and flopped completely. Umberto Giordano, however, briefly became a public favorite. Shortly after successful re-runs on important theatres, including Buenos Aires, New York and São Paulo, Siberia could not maintain its position in repertoire although Gabriel Fauré designated the second act as “one of the most remarkable and captivating that modern dramatic music can offer.“ This opera rarity performed at Bregenz Festival “is musical narrative theatre in perfection“ (Süddeutsche Zeitung) in which “Uryupin leads the agile Wiener Symphoniker through the score with a sense for delicately tinted colours. Ambur Braid sings the challenging part of Stephanas with bravour“ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).