Our latest reader submission is Italian bass-barihunk Riccardo Fassi, who a reader spotted as Colline in Puccini's La bohème
at Austria's Stadttheaters Klagenfurt. He has additional performances
this year on December 29 and 31, and from January 2-17 next year.
Tickets and cast information is available online.
Fassi has been majoring in Vocal Chamber Music and Opera Singing at the
Conservatory “G. Verdi” in Milan. He made his debut in 2014 at the Royal
Opera House in Muscat, Oman singing Masetto in Mozart's Don Giovanni.
Despite his youth, he's already performed on a number of major opera
stages, including Papageno at Milan's La scala, Mozart's Figaro at the
Teatro Comunale in Bologna, Pistola at the Wiener Staatsoper and the
title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Theater Basel.
Next up for Fassi is the role of Balthazar in Donizetti's La favorite
at the Teatro Massimo, which he will rotate with fellow barihunk Marko
Mimica. Léonor will be sung by the exciting young mezzo-soprano Raehann
Bryce-Davis. Fassi performs on February 2 and 27 and additional cast and
ticket information is available online.
Gianluca Margheri will be singing Alidoro in Rossini's "La Cenerentola" (Cinderella) at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo on April 19, 22 and 24. He'll be joined by the amazing tenor René Barbera as Don Ramiro, Chiara Amarù as Angelina, Paolo Bordogna as Don Magnificio, Riccardo Novaro as Dandini, Marina Bucciarelli as Clorinda, and Annunziata Vestri as Tisbe. The role of Alidoro replaces the Fairy Godmother from the original story of Cinderella. Tickets are available online.
In Act 1, Alidoro sings "Là del ciel nell'arcano profondo" in disguise as one of the King's officials. He is with Cenerentola who cannot attend the Prince's ball at her father's insistence. Alidoro realizes the goodness in Cenerentola and tells her that he will
bring her to the ball himself. She believes that he is making fun of
her. To show her that he means what he says, he throws off his cloak to
reveal his noble clothes beneath and sings to her that God himself has
looked down upon her and shows favor upon her and thus, she should not
be afraid of going to the ball. He then goes on to say that his carriage
is coming and, although she must be confused and upset, she will soon
be in happier days.
Ildebrando D'Arcangelo sings "Là del ciel nell'arcano profondo":
Rossini composed La Cenerentola when he was 25 years old, following the success of The Barber of Seville the year before. Throughout most of the 19th century, its popularity rivaled that of the Barber of Seville, but as the coloratura contralto, for which the title role was originally written, became rare it fell slowly out of the repertoire.
The opera contains some of his finest writing for solo voice and ensembles. Perhaps the most popular aria from the piece today is Cenerentola's "Nacqui all'affanno ... Non piu mesta," which is often used be singers to end recital programs or as an encore. Other popular pieces include Don Magnifico's "Miei rampolli femminini, Dandini's "Come un'ape ne' giorni d'aprile" (a popular audition piece for young baritones), Prince Ramiro's "Si, ritrovarla io giuro" and the ensemble "Questo è un nodo avviluppato."
After Rossini's La Cenerentola, Margheri will head to the Hungarian State Opera from June 17-23 to perform Purcell's The Fairy Queen and then he's off to St. Gallen to sing the title role in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro running from September 17 through November 25.
The Teatro Massimo di Palermo will be alternating casts in Puccini's La bohème, which opens on September 18th. The cast performing on September 19, 22, 25 and 27 will feature the Italian barihunk trio of Simone Alberghini as Marcello, Dario Russo as Colline and Italo Proferisce as Schaunard. Additional information is available online.
We introduced Simone Alberghini when he appeared as Don Giovanni in a production with and "18 and older" warning at the Perm Opera. The other singers are new to this site.
Dario Russo graduated with a degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures, focusing on Russian and German. After finishing his studies, he became a member of the Opera Studio Nederland of Amsterdam and was part of the Opera Workshop as the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova. Recent performances have included
Enrico in Anna Bolena in Catania, Count Walter in Luisa Miller at the Teatro di San Carlo.Demetrio in Rossini's Demetrio e Polibio at the Teatro San Carlo of
Naples, the Commendatore in Don Giovanni at Opera Basel, Raimondo in Lucia di
Lammermoor at the Teatro San Carlo of Napoli and Colline in Trieste. He next sings in Bari where he'll perform Colline with the Marcello of fellow barihunk Giorgio Caoduro.
Naples native Italo Proferisce studied piano and voice at the Conservatorio G. Martucci in Salermo and attended the Accademia di Alta Formazione del Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. He was a finalist or winner in numerous vocal competitions between 2009-2011. He made his debut as Don Perizonio in Cimarosa's L'impresario in angustie in Budrio in 2011. He performed as Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro and as the father in Fortunato's Falcone e Borsellino at the Teatro Verdi di Pisa, Marcello in La Bohème with Teatro Ammitato in Florence and Deputato Flamingo in Don Carlos with Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
