Mirco Palazzi singing Assur in Marseilles and Bordeaux

Mirco Palazzi

Italian barihunk Mirco Palazzi is reprising the role of Assur in Rossini's Semiramide with Opéra de Marseille through October 27th with Jessica Pratt in the title role. He'll take up the role again in March 2016 with the thrilling soprano Leah Crocetto in the title role.

Semiramide was Rossini's final Italian opera before moving to Paris, where he went on to write Il viaggio a Reims, Le siège de Corinthe, Moïse et Pharaon, Le comte Ory and Guillaume Tell.

By the late 1800s, Semiramide had virtually disappeared from the repertoire. However, it was chosen in 1880 to inaugurate the Teatro Costanzi, new venue of the Rome Opera House, and appeared as part of the Cincinnati Opera Festival in 1882, which was attended by Oscar Wilde. The opera virtually disappeared after 1895, until a German language revival in Rostock in 1932 and a performance under the baton of Tullio Serafin at the Maggio Musicale in 1940. 

Perhaps the most famous exponent of Assur in the last half century has been Samuel Ramey. 

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Barihunk Cyril Rovery featured in Men's Health

Cyril Rovery

The European edition of Men's Health magazine recently featured French barihunk Cyril Rovery in a feature called "Baryton Man." He's new to this site.

Rovery studied at the Marseilles Conservatoire graduating in 2000. In 1999, he won 1st Prize at the Symphonies d’Automne International Competition in Mâcon and in 2002 he won the Siena International Competition for Singers.

Men's Health featuring Cyril Rovery

He made his professional debut in 2001 as Germont at the Avignon Opera House with Patricia Cioffi in Verdi's La Traviata.  He subsequently appeared as Golaud in Debussy's Pelleas and Melisande at the Massy Opera house and Puccini's Madame Butterfly at the Marseilles Opera House. His performance in Richard Strauss' Salome at the Montpellier Opera House was recorded by Universal Music.

Cyril Rovery

Earlier this year he appeared at l’Opéra de Marseille as Giocanto Castriconi in the premiere of Jean-Claude Petit's Colomba, about a Mediterranean heroine with an insatiable desire for vengeance. He's been a regular at Marseille singing Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca, the Duke of Verona in Roméo et Juliette and Monterone in Verdi's Rigoletto.

His career has been primarily centered in France.

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Ildar Abdrazakov to Make American Solo Recital Debut

Ildar Abdrazakov

Ildar Abdrazakov, who you can see in the Live in HD broadcast of Bizet's Carmen tomorrow, will be making his American solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall on Jan 29th. Joined by pianist Mzia Bakhtouridze, the Russian bass-barihunk will sing a program that includes Fauré, Liszt, Ravel, Glinka, Tchaikovsky, and Mussorgsky. Tickets are available online.

On February 5th, he'll give his second U.S. recital at Florida’s Palm Beach Opera in a gala event titled “Seduction of the Senses: A Gala Evening with Ildar Abdrazakov.” The event is co-hosted by Donald Trump and tickets are limited. Email Lisa at lhuertas@pbopera.org for more information.

Fans in Europe can catch him in Rossini's Moïse et Pharaon at the Marseille Opera from November 8-16.

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