Verdi Operas
Sundays in July
This July, Stingray Classica turns the spotlight on one of the greatest operatic composers of all time: Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901). Over his six-decade career, the Italian composer wrote twenty-six operas, many of which are part of the standard repertoire. Stingray Classica presents a selection of his works on Sunday afternoons in July at 14:00. Firstly, on July 6, enjoy Verdi’s tragic masterpiece Rigoletto. Based on Victor Hugo’s controversial play Le Roi s'amuse, the composer had to revise the story in order to avoid problems with the censor. The work eventually had a hugely successful premiere at the Venice Teatro La Fenice in 1851. On July 13, Stingray Classica presents a wonderful performance of Verdi’s penultimate opera Otello by the Teatro Real Madrid. The composer was reluctant to compose anything new after the success of his opera Aida in 1871, but was eventually convinced to compose two more operas, including Otello. The work premiered in February 1887 in Milan and was an enormous success, appearing soon on all major European stages. On July 20, enjoy another production by Teatro Real Madrid, this time of Verdi’s beloved opera La traviata. During its first performance in March 1853, the audience expressed their displeasure with some of the cast, including the soprano who sang the role of Violetta. Verdi subsequently made some changes to the cast and the score, and the opera was performed again in May 1864. This time it was a resounding success. Finally, on July 27, Stingray Classica premieres Verdi’s dramatic La forza del destino, an impressive 2021 production performed by the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège. Composed for the imperial Russian opera in St. Petersburg, La forza del destino premiered there in 1862. Verdi later revised the opera, with the final version debuting at La Scala in Milan in 1869. This is the version usually performed today.
Verdi - Rigoletto
Sunday, July 6 | 14:00
Riccardo Frizza leads the Orchestra and Chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s tragic opera Rigoletto (1851). In 1850, Teatro La Fenice commissioned Verdi to compose a new opera. Verdi proposed Victor Hugo’s controversial play Le Roi s'amuse to his librettist Francesco Maria Piave. This play, which premiered in 1832 but was banned after only one performance, portrayed the monarchy in its worst vices. However, Verdi was determined to adapt the play to opera and reached a compromise with the censor. The opera revolves around Rigoletto, a hunchbacked jester at the court of the licentious Duke of Mantua. Rigoletto’s life is turned upside down when his latest wisecrack starts a vendetta that is far from amusing, leaving him cursed. In this 2021 production, Italian director Davide Livermore follows the story as we know it, but places it in a contemporary setting. Among the soloists are Javier Camarena (Duke of Mantua), Luca Salsi (Rigoletto), Enkeleda Kamani (Gilda), Alessio Cacciamani (Sparafucile), Caterina Piva (Maddalena), and Valentina Corò (Giovanna). This performance was recorded at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Italy, in 2021.
Verdi - Otello
Sunday, July 13 | 14:00
Based on a story by William Shakespeare, the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi wrote the opera Otello. Stage director David Alden created his version of this tragedy for the Teatro Real, in Madrid. Renato Palumbo conducts the orchestra and chorus of the Teatro Real. The performance also features Gregory Kunde, Ermonela Jaho, and George Petean. Othello, the Venetian governor of Cyprus, returns to the island after a victorious campaign. Iago, his ensign, feels snubbed by Cassio's promotion to captain and seeks revenge on Othello. After arranging for Cassio to be dismissed, Iago makes Othello believe that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Othello decides to kill her. At night, he wakes her with a kiss and asks her to admit that she betrayed him. Although she tries in vain to convince him of her innocence, Othello strangles her. Emilia then exposes Iago's plot. Racked with guilt, Othello plunges a dagger into his heart.
Verdi - La Traviata
Sunday, July 20 | 14:00
After its initial rejection, Verdi’s unique opera La Traviata became one of the most acclaimed works of this composer. This love story brought the tragedy of Violetta Valéry and Alfredo to light. The rich courtesan has everything she wishes for, including money, friends, and lovers, but when she falls in love with the young Alfredo, she gets in trouble. Giorgio Germont, Alfredo’s father, disapproves the relationship and tells Violetto that she should leave Alfredo forever. This story brought Verdi legendary status through music with a profound sense of humanity and psychological portrayal of the characters and their feelings. Stage director David McVicar sets this drama in a world of romantic references while retaining an up-to-date perspective. The performance features Ermonela Jaho (Violetta Valéry), Francesco Demuro (Alfredo Germont) and Juan Jesús Rodriguez (Georgio Germont). The orchestra and chorus of the Teatro Real Madrid play under the baton of Renato Palumbo.
Verdi - La forza del destino
Sunday, July 27 | 14:00
Renato Palumbo conducts the Orchestra and Choirs of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège in a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny). Verdi and his librettist Francesco Maria Piave based the work on a Spanish musical drama by Angel de Saavedra, ‘Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino’. Composed for the imperial Russian opera in St. Petersburg, La forza premiered there in 1862. Verdi later revised the work, with the definitive version debuting at La Scala in Milan in 1869—the version most often performed today. La forza del destino tells the tragic story of nobleman Don Alvaro and Leonora, whose love is forbidden by Leonora’s father, the Marquis of Calatrava. When the lovers attempt to elope, a fatal accident leads to the Marquis’s death, setting off a relentless chain of events shaped by destiny. Among the soloists are Marcelo Álvarez, María José Siri, Simone Piazolla, Michele Pertusi, Enrico Marabelli, and Nino Surguladze. This production was recorded at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège, Belgium, in 2021.
