Punished for stealing the fire from the gods to bring the light of science and art to men, Prometheus has to endure darkness. In Luigi Nono’s “tragedy of listening” Prometeo the hero’s fate and his inner conflicts are transformed into a deeply impressive listening experience with the help of a fascinating spatial sound concept. It comes into its own in a rare staging at the spectacular Baroque cultural monument Teatro Farnese, conducted by Marco Angius. “A fascinating journey through sound!” (Gazzetta di Parma)
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.
Verdi: Jérusalem
For Verdi lovers, the Festival Verdi in Parma is the place to be, especially for rare Verdi stagings such as “Jérusalem”. The opulent staging by Hugo de Ana, also responsible for the grandiose set design and gorgeous costumes, is “overwhelming with its phenomenal illusionist effects and breathtaking desert scenes” (klassik-begeistert.de). Star tenor Ramón Vargas sings Gaston and Annick Massis his lover Hélène. Pablo Galvez impresses as Count of Toulouse, whose brother Roger is excellently sung by Michele Pertusi. Under the baton of Daniele Calligari, the Chorus of the Teatro Regio di Parma gives an outstanding performance.
Giovanna d’Arco
With more than 50 years of experience as film director, Peter Greenaway (Nightwatching, Eisenstein in Guanajuato) combines the worlds of film and opera with Giovanna d’Arco at the Verdi Festival in Parma. The opera’s libretto is based on Friedrich Schiller’s The Maid of Orleans. It tells the story of the French national hero Jeanne d’Arc. Earthly passion and supernatural purity are rendered vivid in the musical interpretation of the Virtuosi Italiani and the Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma, conducted by Ramón Tebar, and by three exceptional singers, Vittoria Yeo, Luciano Ganci and Vittorio Vitelli, “who have the Verdian idiom in their blood, performing veritable miracles of expressive singing and italianità” (Kieler Nachrichten). Turning the auditorium into the scene, Greenaway includes the unique architecture of the Teatro Farnese, one of Italy’s oldest and most exceptional theatre gems, into his staging. By the help of spectacular video and light installations, he creates a completely new opera experience, using a picture language that reaches from depictions of the Madonna to modern manga girls and the real faces of refugee children.