Verdi closes the Les Arts opera season with ‘Ernani’, his first great early opera

• Les Arts presents a new production in co-production with La Fenice of Venice, with musical direction by Michele Spotti and stage direction by Andrea Bernard, two emerging figures on the international opera scene
• A brilliant quartet of Verdi singers, featuring Angela Meade, Piero Pretti, Franco Vassallo and Evgeny Stavinsky, performs Verdi's first opera with a Spanish theme, previously unseen at Les Arts

Valencia (May 25, 2023). Les Arts closes its opera season with a title never before seen in its repertoire: 'Ernani', the first great opera by a young Giuseppe Verdi, which premieres on June 7 in the Main Hall.

Jesús Iglesias Noriega presented 'Ernani' today in the company of his musical director, Michele Spotti, and Andrea Bernard, director of the new production that Les Arts has co-produced with La Fenice of Venice, the same theater that commissioned and premiered this opera by Verdi.

According to the artistic director of Les Arts, 'Ernani' represents a commitment to expanding the repertoire of the composer from Busseto, a fundamental pillar of the programming, "with an essential title in his career, but still unpublished in Valencia, which we present with the highest artistic standards."

'Ernani', he pointed out, is pivotal in Verdi's repertoire for many reasons: his first opera with a Spanish theme, the first based on the work of Victor Hugo and the beginning of the fruitful collaboration with librettist Francesco Maria Piave, author of some of the Italian's greatest successes such as 'Rigoletto' or 'La traviata'.

“But above all, 'Ernani' is a masterpiece. On the one hand, we have a score of exuberant music, full of vigor and freshness, with arias, duets, and choral scenes of extraordinary beauty, in which one can glimpse later works such as 'Il trovatore' or 'La traviata'. On the other hand, it is difficult not to be swept away by the undeniable magnetism of the story of 'Ernani', in which three men lose their heads over the same woman and where all the force of the elements of Verdi's drama converge: honor, passion, love, jealousy, and revenge,” Iglesias Noriega stated.

Michele Spotti takes over as musical director of 'Ernani'. At just 29 years old, the young Milanese maestro has held the position of principal conductor of the Marseille Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra since the 2023/24 season and is considered one of Italy's most promising conductors. With a significant presence on the European opera circuit, he is also known for his symphonic program in his native Italy.

Andrea Bernard is responsible for the staging, with set design by Alberto Beltrame, costumes by Elena Beccaro, and lighting by Marco Alba. The rising director, who has collaborated with Pier Luigi Pizzi, Damiano Michieletto, and Julia Burbach, emerged on the international scene after winning the European Opera Directing Award in 2016. His most notable works include productions of 'Lucrezia Borgia', 'Carmen', 'L'italiana in Algeri', and 'La Cenerentola'.

In his staging of 'Ernani', Andrea Bernard has chosen to maintain a historical setting, but through a contemporary reinterpretation, to give more clarity to the identity of the characters and the historical, and even political, context of their actions.

Iglesias Noriega also emphasized that another distinctive feature of 'Ernani' is its demanding cast of leading roles. For its premiere in Valencia, one of the great divas of the operatic world makes her debut at the Valencian opera house: American soprano Angela Meade, who sings the role of Elvira. Sought after by major theaters to perform the most challenging roles in the 19th-century bel canto repertoire and the operas of Verdi, she is the undisputed queen of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Following his performance in 'Madama Butterfly' in 2021, Piero Pretti returns to Les Arts in the role of Ernani, which he sang to great acclaim in the Venice premiere of this same production. A key figure in Italian opera casts in Milan, London, New York, Paris, and Vienna, the Sardinian tenor is one of the most promising artists of his generation.

Another leading artist also makes his debut at Les Arts, the Italian Franco Vassallo (Don Carlo), who, after consolidating his career as one of the great interpreters of romantic 'bel canto', stands as one of the most important Verdi baritones of today.

The leading quartet is completed by bass Evgeny Stavinsky. The Moscow-born singer returns to the role of Don Ruy Gómez de Silva after the excellent reception he received in this part from the demanding audience of the Rome Opera last season.

The cast of 'Ernani' is completed with the voices of Javier Castañeda (Jago) and the Center de Perfectionament's 'mezzo-soprano' Laura Orueta (Giovanna).

Les Arts premieres 'Ernani' on Wednesday, June 7, with further performances on the 10th, 13th, 16th, and 18th of that month. Additionally, a preview performance for those under 29 will take place on June 4.