Fabio Biondi directs Vivica Genaux in Les Arts in the opera 'Piramo e Tisbe', by Hasse
13.06.2017
Fabio Biondi directs mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux in 'Piramo e Tisbe' by Johann Adolph Hasse, which the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía presents in a concert-show version on June 15 at the Auditori.
The Palermitan conductor introduces this 'rarity' from the late Baroque period into the Les Arts repertoire, which he presented in 2010 with his ensemble Europa Galante at the prestigious Salzburg Whitsun Festival.
'Piramo e Tisbe' is a 'Tragic Intermezzo' in two acts, based on one of the stories from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses', with music by Johann Adolf Hasse set to a poem, in Italian, by Marco Coltellini. The rich orchestration and elegant vocal quality make the 1768 score one of the German composer's most highly regarded works.
The opera tells the story of the last day in the lives of the young lovers Pyramus and Thisbe, inhabitants of Babylon and offspring of two feuding families who were once friends. Ovid recounts that, after their love was forbidden, Pyramus and Thisbe could only communicate through a narrow hole in a wall that separated their bodies and their desires.
William Shakespeare is the author of the most famous version of the story of the ill-fated lovers, which is performed—in the form of a comedy—by a group of rustics in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Centuries later, Benjamin Britten would also respect the passage of 'Piramus and Thisbe' in his operatic adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy, which Les Arts premiered in 2016.
Stars of the repertoire
Vivica Genaux makes her Les Arts debut in the role of Pyramus, which she has previously sung in Salzburg, Vienna, and Krakow under the baton of Fabio Biondi. The American mezzo-soprano is one of the great divas of the Baroque and bel canto repertoires, thanks to her extraordinary timbre and formidable technique.
In her more than 20 years of career, both in recording and in the best theaters and auditoriums, Vivica Genaux has performed more than 60 roles, with leading directors such as Alan Curtis, René Jacobs, Kurt Masur and Fabio Biondi himself.
Soprano Valentina Farcas sings the role of Thisbe. The Bucharest-born performer, who is also making her debut at Les Arts, has worked with some of the most prominent conductors on the scene: Riccardo Chailly, Nikolas Harnoncourt, Kurt Masur, Kiril Petrenko, and Christian Thielemann. Among her most recent successes is her recording, under the baton of Fabio Biondi, of Bellini's 'I Capuleti e i Montecchi', alongside Vivica Genaux herself.
The cast is completed by Emanuele d'Aguanno, who gives voice to Tisbe's father, a role that the Italian tenor has previously sung in Salzburg and Vienna with Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante.
Emilio López is responsible for the stage design of this concert-performance. The young stage director, who has already worked in Valencia on productions such as Honegger's 'Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher' and the tribute show to Lucrezia Bori, recently premiered a new production of Manuel Penella's 'La malquerida' and will return to Les Arts in the 2017-2018 season to present a new production of Puccini's 'Madama Butterfly' on October 11.
The arts center reminds that ticket prices for 'Piramo e Tisbe' range from 30 to 45 euros.
