The Plácido Domingo Perfection Center stars in the second fortnight of the VII Mediterrani Festival
17.06.2014
The Teatre Martín i Soler hosts the Spanish premiere of Cánticos desde el infierno (Songs from Hell) , with a libretto by Ramón Sampedro and music by Andrea Chenna.
< Actress Rossy de Palma heads the cast of Romancero gitano , by García Lorca in the transcription by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Artists from different graduating classes of the Centre de Perfeccionament offer 'Veus Valencianes', a series of recitals from June 23 to 25
The Palau de les Arts has set a single price of 15 euros for tickets to these shows.
Valencia. The Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo is the star of the second half of the VII Festival del Mediterrani, with a double program of opera and a series of recitals at the Teatre Martín i Soler of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.
Next Friday, June 20, the Palau de les Arts hosts the Spanish premiere of Cánticos desde el infierno (Songs from Hell) , a modern opera about the poetic soul of the Galician quadriplegic Ramón Sampedro, immortalized by filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar in the Oscar-winning Mar adentro (The Sea Inside).
The libretto for Songs from Hell is based on Sampedro's own literary work, with dramaturgy by Roberta Cortese and Luigi Chiarella. Andrea Chenna composed the music. He also serves as musical director for this production, while Davide Livermore, artistic director of the Centre de Perfeccionament, is responsible for the staging.
According to Livermore, the production combines the guidelines of 17th-century Italian opera with a technological aspect, to which both Berklee College of Music and the director, Andrea Chenna, contribute through their own software.
There is no instrumental ensemble. Andrea Chenna's sound design and Tyler Sasso's guitar playing from Berkle College of Music provide the musical foundation for the voice and words.
The dramatic arc explores the character's inner turmoil, his search for meaning in life, and how his inner journey brings forth the poetry within. Songs from Hell is not an argument in favor of euthanasia, but rather a reflection on the search for the value of life.
Davide Livermore portrays Ramón Sampedro in this production. The Turin-born singer, educator, and director leads the cast, which also includes mezzo-soprano Manuela Custer, singers Cristina Alunno and Hyekyung Choi from the Centre de Perfeccionament, and actress Anna Moret.
The production is a production of the Associazione Baretti e Fondazione Teatro Regio di Torino in collaboration with the Fondazione e Scuola del Teatro Stabile di Torino.
In addition to the premiere on the 20th, the Teatre Martín i Soler will host more performances on June 22nd and 26th.
Gypsy Ballads
Romancero gitano , by Federico García Lorca, in the transcription for narrator, vocal quartet and guitar by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, is the second of the proposals of the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo in collaboration with Berklee College of Music within the VII Festival del Mediterrani.
On June 21, the Teatre Martín i Soler hosts the premiere of this work by the Italian composer, which will also be presented on June 27 and 28.
The show features Rossy de Palma reciting the poems of García Lorca. This is the second time the celebrated actress has visited the Palau de les Arts, where she played Sul in Vicente Lleó's zarzuela La corte de Faraón in 2008 at the first edition of the Festival del Mediterrani.
Singers from the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo—Federica Alfano, Mariam Battistelli, Valentino Buzza, and Germán Olvera—comprise the vocal quartet, accompanied by Luis Regidor Paín on guitar. The Berklee College of Music alumnus boasts, among other distinctions, second prize at the 2011 Montreux Jazz Voice Competition, with Quincy Jones as jury president. Brian Cole, Dean of Berklee Valencia, is the musical director of this performance.
Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) was one of the most outstanding guitar composers of the 20th century. The Italian composer became enamored with this instrument after meeting Andrés Segovia in Venice in 1932.
Cycle of 'Valencian Voices'
The Teatre Martín i Soler, home of the Centre de Perfeccionament, also hosts a series featuring some of the most outstanding singers who have trained in this project sponsored by Plácido Domingo.
With the common denominator of their links with the Valencian Community, the tenor Mario Cerdá, the mezzo-soprano María Luisa Corbacho, the sopranos Dolores Lahuerta and Yolanda Marín, the baritone Lluís Martínez and the mezzo-soprano Susana Martínez make up the list of performers who star in the three recitals scheduled for June 23, 24 and 25 under the name 'Veus valencianes'.
The Valencian cultural center has set a single price of 15 euros for both the two opera performances and for each of the 'Veus Valencianes' recital sessions.
