Exclusive Image to COMMANDOpera courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.
Werther will premiere on the boards of the San Francisco Opera the evening of September 15th for a total of six performances. The run will be under the baton of maestro Emmanuel Villaume whom COMMANDOpera first wrote about here. This new production (and the artists renderings found in this article) of Werther arrives from the mind of the internationally acclaimed Director/Set and Costume designer Mr. Louis Desiré (readers must visit his web page) and is a co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Mr. Frances Negrin will direct the performances, with lighting by Mr. Duane Schuler. Each are critically acclaimed internationally for their respective work, which makes this production particularly special to those who are aware.
Exclusive Image to COMMANDOpera courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.
Now if the production talent the SFO were bringing to bear on this Werther, the vocal resources are virtually unmatched in this repertoire. Werther: Mr. Ramón Vargas, Charlotte: Miss Alice Coote, Sophie: Miss Heidi Stober, Albert: Mr. Brian Mulligan, The Bailiff: Mr.Christian Van Horn, Schmidt: Mr. Robert MacNeil, Kätchen: Miss Susannah Biller, Brühlmann: Mr. Austin Kness, Johann: Mr. Bojan Knezevic. COMMANDOpera is obliged to note Mr. Vargas is particularly credible for the role of Werther, which requires a smokey angularity to the vocal instrument. Her is Mr. Vargas this year in a performance of Werther.
Mr. Vargas: ‘Porqoui me réveiller’. Weiner Staatsoper April 2010. ‘Amateur Video Warning’.
Is there anyone on the planet today who matches the creamy, rich mezzo vocal instrument of the British artist Miss Alice Coote? COMMANDOpera finds Miss Coote to be a rarity in sheer vocal beauty from this range. Although there is no extant audio of the artist as Charlotte, listen to her ‘Cara speme, questo core’ from Giulio Cesare. One can only imagine that Miss Coote will bring the house down when she essays Charlotte, such is the unmatchable elegance and quality of her work.
Miss Coote sings Sesto’s air from Giulio Cesare by Handel. Paris 2006.
Gavanelli is Rigoletto in DALLAS
STUNNING STUNNING COUP for The Dallas Opera.
COMMANDOpera will quote the official release from the DALLAS Opera of a few minutes ago:
The Dallas Opera is thrilled to announce that the internationally acclaimed Italian baritone, Paolo Gavanelli, has agreed to sing the title role in the company’s Spring revival of Giuseppe Verdi’s RIGOLETTO. The production opens Friday, March 25, 2011 at 7:30 PM in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Downtown Dallas.
Mr. Gavanelli has performed the role more than 200 times in prestigious venues around the globe and is widely considered “the foremost Verdi baritone of his generation” (Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times).
As Dominic McHugh of MusicalCriticism.com wrote in 2007, “Probably the most tremendous performance of a Verdi opera I’ve ever heard was at the Royal Opera House on 10 June 2005 when Sir Edward Downes led a stellar cast including Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala in Rigoletto. But it was the singer in the central role that really made an impact: Italian baritone Paolo Gavanelli…frankly, I don’t imagine I’ll ever hear it performed more convincingly…he has made the part his own the world over.”
Born in Padua, Mr. Gavanelli studied law and music simultaneously before making his debut as Leporello in DON GIOVANNI, and swiftly achieved star status among audiences from Covent Garden to New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
In 2005, Mr. Gavanelli was honored with the prestigious Bavarian title of “Kammersänger.” Three years later he was nominated for a Grammy Award for his outstanding portrayal of Germont in a Bavarian State Opera live recording of Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA (conducted by Zubin Mehta) praised by John Nemaric of Audiophile Audition as “the most beautiful, heartfelt voice for this part (Giorgio Germont) you ever heard.”
“It’s a great, great coup,” says Dallas Opera Artistic Director Jonathan Pell. “We’ve made efforts in the past to bring this tremendous artist to Dallas but schedule conflicts made it an impossible dream—until now. And the chance to experience this Verdian masterpiece with Paolo, Laura Claycomb and James Valenti sharing the Winspear stage is exciting beyond words!”
COMMANDOpera now gives readers the opportunity to know what Dallas Opera theatre goers will know when Mr. Gavanelli appears.
Mr. Gavanelli: ‘Cortigiani, vil razza dannata’ Paris 1996.