Arrangement from Thursday 15 to Monday 19 May 2025,
4 nights
Norma - V. Bellini, the 16, nouvelle production
Antonino Fogliani - Cyril Teste
Lidia Fridman, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Freddie De Tommaso, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo
Staatsoper
"Tosca" was first performed on January 14, 1900 at the Teatro Costanzi, now the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, symbolically on the spot. The evening was a major social event, and in addition to the Prime Minister and the Queen, the composers Pietro Mascagni and Francesco Cilea were also present. With his "Tosca" Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) entered a new century and, with his highly theatrical and effective scenes, he committed himself to Verist opera on the one hand and to the tragic-heroic grand opera on the other.After seeing the drama of the same name by Victorien Sardous, which was a huge international success with Sarah Bernhardt in the leading role, the composer successfully applied to Sardou for the rights to create a libretto. The wealth of musical ideas (more than 60 themes appear as leitmotifs) and the breathless sequence of events are largely responsible for the immense tension and drama of the opera. By focusing on the main character, the work is considered a "prima donna opera" par excellence. Although it has always been suspected that a historical figure is behind Tosca, the characters and plot are freely invented.However, the background against which the plot unfolds is historically determined by the Second Coalition War and the Battle of Marengo in 1800 between French and Austrian troops. Napoleon’s supposed defeat and his final victory over the coalition troops are reported in the first and second act of the opera.Today "Tosca" is one of the most popular and most performed operas of all.
Tosca♪ - G. Puccini, the 17
Marco Armiliato - Margarethe Wallmann
Aleksandra Kurzak, Roberto Alagna, Gabriele Viviani
Staatsoper
"Il trovatore" was premiered with triumphant success in 1853 at the Teatro Apollo in Rome and is Giuseppe Verdi’s (1813-1901) second opera from the so-called "trilogia popolare" ("Rigoletto" / "Il trovatore" / "La traviata").The plot is set in medieval Spain and is based on the play "El trovador" by Antonio Garcìa Gutiérrez. The libretto, which remained fragmentary due to the unexpected death of Salvadore Cammarano, was completed by Leone Emmanuele Bardare. Although this circumstance causes the plot to have breaks and flaws, Verdi composed splendidly melodious arias for his protagonists Manrico (= il trovatore) and Leonore that are among the most beautiful in his repertoire.Overall, the instrumentation within the trilogia reaches an extremely high artistic level, which is expressed particularly clearly in the musical characterization of the multi-layered characters. Thus the dark character of Azucena is transformed from a vengefully tormented one into a loving mother who sings with the most tender and heartfelt feelings about her son who was mistakenly sacrificed. Rich in somber soundscapes and extreme contrasts, this dramma lirico, whose main motif is revenge, is now regularly performed at all major opera houses.
Il Trovatore♪ - G. Verdi, the 18
Marco Armiliato - Daniele Abbado
Krassimira Stoyanova,
Ekaterina Semenchuk
Ekaterina Semenchuk was born in the former Soviet Union in Minsk in 1976. She studied singing at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersberg and made her debut at the famous Mariinsky Theater while still a student. Her broad repertoire includes important and technically demanding roles such as Azucena in Verdi’s Il trovatore, Princess Eboli (Don Carlo) and Amneris (Aida), as well as the roles of Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana), Marina (Boris Godunov) and the title role of Carmen. The mezzo-soprano makes guest appearances at all the major international houses such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Opéra de Paris, the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, the Teatro alla Scala or at the Salzburg Festival.
Ekaterina Semenchuk♪,
Piotr Beczala
Born in 1966 in Czechowice-Dziedzice, Poland, tenor Piotr Beczała’s elegant, yet powerful vocal delivery has thrilled audiences on opera and concert stages around the world. His engagements have taken the opera singer to all the major houses, including Berlin, Munich, Milan, New York, Salzburg, Vienna and Zurich. In the summer of 2018, after only a few weeks of rehearsals, Beczała made his acclaimed debut on the Green Hill at the Bayreuth Festival, where he took over at short notice for Roberto Alagna in the role of Lohengrin.Beczała’s extensive repertoire continues to include the title roles in the operas Werther, Roméo et Juliette, Faust and Les Contes d’Hoffmanns, as well as the roles of Il Duca di Mantova (Rigoletto), Rodolfo (La bohème), Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood (Lucia di Lammermoor), Lenski (Eugene Onegin), Tamino (The Magic Flute), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) and Alfredo (La traviata). Beczała is one of the leading tenors of our time, performing alongside renowned top orchestras, conductors and notable stage partners, including Placido Domingo, Sir Elliott Gardiner, Fabio Luisi, Riccardo Muti, Christian Thielemann, Diana Damrau as well as Anna Netrebko.
Piotr Beczala♪,
Luca Salsi
The Italian Luca Salsi, born in Emilia Romagna in 1975, is known for his Italian repertoire, especially his Verdi repertoire, as well as for parade roles such as Baron Scarpia. The baritone works with all renowned conductors and is a guest on the world’s major stages. He has already opened the season twice at La Scala in Milan: in 2017 in Giordano’s ,Andrea Chénier’ and in 2019 in Puccini’s ,Tosca’. (as of 2024)
Luca Salsi♪, Dmitry Ulyanov
Staatsoper