The Palau de les Arts brings together for the first time the Primitiva and the Unió Musical de Llíria for the inauguration of the VII Mediterrani Festival
12.04.2014
– The theater group presents 'Verdi-Puccini. Destí València', an open-air show that combines lights, fireworks, acrobatics, dance and music.
Zubin Mehta conducts Verdi's La forza del destino and Puccini's Turandot , as well as a concert featuring works by Richard Strauss.
– This year's program includes two series of recitals featuring performers based in the Valencian Community
– The Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo completes the operatic offering with Cánticos desde el infierno , by Andrea Chenna, and Romancero gitano , by García Lorca in the transcription by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
– The Calatrava building's lecture hall hosts a film series dedicated to the work of Alejandro Amenábar
Valencia. The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía brings together for the first time in its history the Primitiva and the Unió Musical de Llíria for the opening of the VII Festival del Mediterrani, in an open-air show by La Fura dels Baus on Friday, May 30 at 10 p.m.
'Verdi-Puccini. Destí València' kicks off the festival presided over by Zubin Mehta with this production by the Catalan theater group that combines lights, fireworks, acrobatics and dance with the music of both bands.
Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini, two of the most popular composers among the Valencian public and protagonists of the seventh edition of this musical event with the operas La forza del destino , by Verdi, and Turandot , by Puccini, are the stars of this free exhibition in the vicinity of the Palau de les Arts.
Two large effigies of Verdi and Puccini, suspended from two cranes and escorted by both bands, will travel around the Monteolivete roundabout until reaching the Palau de les Arts, where a competition will take place between the two with their most famous works as weapons.
Carlus Padrissa is the creator and director of 'Verdi-Puccini. Destí València', the second open-air show he has conceived for the Palau de les Arts. To coincide with performances of Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle , Padrissa presented 'Anell de Llum' in Valencia, which was staged in both 2008 and 2009, attracting more than 40,000 spectators in its second run.
Verdi and Puccini
On May 31, the Main Hall hosts the premiere of the Palau de les Arts' new production of Verdi's La forza del destino , with Zubin Mehta conducting. Davide Livermore is the stage director of this opera, which features American tenor Gregory Kunde (Don Alvaro) and Ukrainian soprano Liudmila Monastirska (Leonora) in the leading roles.
The Italian baritone Simone Piazzola (Don Carlo di Vargas), the Danish bass Stephen Milling (Padre Guardiano), the Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk (Preziosilla) and the South Korean bass In-Sung Sim (Marchese di Calatrava) complete the cast of Verdi's La forza del destino , which is also performed on June 5, 10 and 14.
Turandot , by Puccini, This is the second opera directed by Zubin Mehta at the 7th Festival del Mediterrani. The Palau de les Arts will revive his acclaimed production, directed by Chinese filmmaker Chen Kaige, on June 11. The highly sought-after American soprano Lise Lindstrom sings the role of the cruel Princess Turandot. She is joined in the cast by tenor Jorge de León (Calaf), Italian soprano Jessica Nucio (Liù), and Ukrainian bass Alexander Tsymbalyuk (Timur).
The Valencian cultural center will present more performances of Puccini's Turandot on June 13 and 15.
The Bombay conductor leads the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana in a monographic concert of Richard Strauss, on the 150th anniversary of his birth, with the works Also sprach Zarathustra , the suite from Der Rosenkavalier and Vier letzte Lieder , with soprano Dorothea Röschmann as soloist, on the music stand.
Plácido Domingo Improvement Center
The Teatre Martín i Soler hosts during the second half of June a double program consisting of the works Cánticos desde el infierno , with a score by Andrea Chenna, and Romancero Gitano , by Federico García Lorca in the transcription for vocal quartet and guitar by the Italian Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, the result of the collaboration between the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo and Berklee College of Music.
Songs from Hell is a production of the Palau de les Arts with the Teatro Regio, the Teatro Stabile, and the Teatro Baretti of Turin. It is a contemporary opera with a libretto by Ramón Sampedro—the quadriplegic immortalized by Alejandro Amenábar in his film The Sea Inside . and dramaturgy by Roberta Cortese and Luigi Chiarella.
Andrea Chenna himself will conduct, while Davide Livermore will direct. The cast includes mezzo-soprano Manuela Custer, singers Cristina Alunno and Hyekyung Choi from the Centre de Perfeccionament, and actress Anna Moret. This production premieres on June 20th, with additional performances on June 22nd and 26th.
Romancero Gitano , featuring the renowned actress Rossy de Palma, includes the voices of Centre de Perfeccionament artists Irina Levian, Mariam Battistelli, Valentino Buzza, and Germán Olvera, and the guitar of Luis Regidor Pain from Berklee. Brian Cole, Dean of Berklee Valencia, is the musical director of this production. The musical transcription of Lorca's work premieres on June 21. The Teatre Martín i Soler will host two more performances of this production on June 27 and 28.
Cycles of Valencian performers
The Festival del Mediterrani, in its seventh edition, once again brings together leading keyboardists based in the Valencian Community in 'Pianistes valencians' (Valencian Piano Players). The Aula Magistral of the Palau de les Arts welcomes Carlos Apellániz, Claudio Carbó, Antonio Galera, Carles Marín, Jorge Morón, Xavier Torres, and Andrea Zamora, who will each perform in the six recitals that make up this series, scheduled for June 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, and 13.
The Teatre Martín i Soler, home of the Centre de Perfeccionament, is hosting a series of performances 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 program for the VII Festival del Mediterrani also includes a film series focusing on the work of Alejandro Amenábar, from June 15 to 19, and an exhibition dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi in the Main Hall.
