Rene Pape uses his iPhone for encore

Rene Pape uses his iPhone for encore

Rene Pape's recital debut at La Scala was an eagerly anticipated event. He brought and all-German program to Milano, which delighted the crowd.

He decided to play to some Italian passions by singing Tosti’s "L’Ultima Can­zone" as an encore, but needed some help with the text. In a major sign that we've entered the digital age, he whipped out his iPhone and announced "text." He then proceeded to deliver a perfect version of the song in the backyard of Leo Nucci and Renato Bruson, who have made Tosti virtually a calling card at Italian recitals.

Renato Bruson sings "L'Ultima Canzone":

"Catalogue Aria" as seen by the iPhone

[Photo of Eugene Brancoveanu]


It is rare that we feature a video that doesn't show a barihunk, but this latest promo video from Berkeley Opera is so ingenious that we couldn't resist. The aria is sung by Igor Vieira, who sings Leporello in the production. The Don Giovanni is being sung by Eugene Brancoveanu, a major talent on the operatic horizon who has previously appeared on this site. The video was created by Jeremy Knight and follows the famous catalogue aria on iPhone apps. This is the type of stuff that opera companies need to do in order to make the art form relevant to younger audiences.



Don Giovanni is running until February 28 and tickets can be purchased at the Berkeley Opera website. If you plan on going, order now, as some performances are almost completely sold out.
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