The open-air Katara Amphitheatre will host the International
Opera Awards complete with a classical tryst you wouldn’t
want to miss, writes Anand Holla
On a wind-swept December night, the open-air Katara Amphitheatre will reverberate with the flourishes of music performed by the finest classical artistes. For the first time, the esteemed International Opera Awards — Oscar Della Lirica — will be held outside of Italy, in Qatar, tomorrow night.
Promoted by the Foundation Verona per l’Arena, the Confederazione Italiana Associazioni e Fondazioni per la Musica Lirica e Sinfonica, and various other organisations, Oscar Della Lirica was established to honour, popularise and re-launch the world of Lyric Opera.
At the International Opera and Classical Music Awards night, Doha will witness both, top classical musicians of the world perform and a glittering awards ceremony. Here’s a lowdown on the most coveted awards of classical music, and the artistes who would light up the occasion.
Deeply rooted in Italian and European history, Lyric Opera is now open to new interpretations. It is recognised as part of the World Cultural Heritage movement given how it links the past to the future. Lyric Opera’s modern adaptation makes room for new talents who come in the capacities of directors, set designers, new voices and so on.
The awards are divided into categories such as Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Mezzo-Soprano, Bass, Contralto, Conductor, Orchestra, Choir, Corps de ballet, Costume Designer, Director and Set Designer. Every new edition of the event sees the organising committee choose eight categories among 13.
Unveiled on August 30, 2010, at the Verona Arena, the Oscar Della Lirica has achieved much critical and public acclaim, apart from receiving patronage of various top offices of Italy.
Two years later, the Grande Puccini Open Theatre at Torre del Lago hosted the second edition of the Awards to a full house. In May 2013, the Municipal Theatre of Bologna ushered in the third take of the event, and Katara, on tomorrow, will bring in the fourth.
The man who created the Awards is the Italian artist and manager Alfredo Troisi, a well-known promoter of Verona and its district. Troisi has been championing the promotion of the city of the Della Scala family for many years, and has been at the forefront of initiatives related to art and culture.
As for the jury for the Awards, it boasts of some of the biggest names in the field: Carla Bossi-Comelli, Daniela Traldi, and Shigeaki Saegusa.
Bossi-Comelli has been the President of World Federation of Friends of Museums, an international non-profit organisation supporter of associations and volunteers of museums around the world, since 2000, and is also a member of the International Council of the Metropolitan Opera of New York, among other things.
A proponent of the musical culture and opera in Italy, Traldi, since 2005, has been the President of the Confederazione Italiana Associazioni e Fondazioni per la Musica Lirica e Sinfonica — a foundation that comprises 25 of the most esteemed Italian foundations and associations.
Best known for his opera version Chushingura (1997) of the famous kabuki epic of the Forty Seven Ronin, Japanese composer Saegusa’s specialties include orchestral and instrumental works as well as music for film and TV programmes.
The night will shine with a veritable list of star musicians, too. Antonio Forcione, an award-winning acoustic guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer, is known to step away from the conventional, popular guitar sounds, be it in the field of jazz, Spanish, African, Brazilian or improvised music. His international tours have been certified hits just like his albums that have variously topped UK and international jazz charts.
Greek soprano Dimitra Theodossiou is hailed as one of the most exciting and important voices for Verdi and Belcanto Repertoire. Her role of Odabella in Verdi’s Attila has impressed thousands over the years. She has performed in numerous prestigious shows and venues across the world.
Mezzo-soprano Elisabetta Fiorillo’s roles of Verdi won her such acclaim that her performances became regular at the finest theatres in Italy and abroad. In 2005, she was awarded the illustrious Premio Internazionale Francesco Cilea.
Gregory Kunde is considered to be one of the most accomplished and elegant singers on the opera stage today. Tenor Kunde wows the audience with his sensitive phrasing, impeccable style, and dramatic command of the most demanding roles of the Italian and French repertoire. Often called “a rising young star,” Kunde has deftly handled some of the most daunting tenor roles.
Master of Ceremony, or the Presenter, Enrico Stinchelli is the author and conductor of what has become the most respected programme on RAI RadioTre, “La Barcaccia”, which covers everything about the world of opera. The programme has had an uninterrupted run since it began 26 years ago. Stinchelli has also been an assistant and consultant with several notable directors such as Comencini.
Elisabetta Maschio was a pupil of Maestro Riccardo Risaliti, renowned pianist and teacher. Maschio started her career in 1988 as a répétiteur (a coach of ballet dancers or opera singers), and continued working for various theatres and music festivals. She debuted in conducting in 1991 and has regularly worked as a conductor ever since in the operatic repertoire.
Samantha Sapienza and Vincenzo Costanzo, who fall in the Special Award New Generation categories, promise a lot of potential. While trained opera singer Sapienza has mastered the operatic repertoire, Costanzo — the youngest Italian opera tenor — has won hearts ever since he made a winsome debut as a soloist in the opera Nutcracker when he was all of 11.
The Special Awards will honour operatic tenor Carlo Bergonzi and operatic baritone Renato Bruson. Bergonzi, who passed away earlier this July, is considered to be the epitome of Italian vocal art, while Bruson is known as one of the most important Verdi baritones of the late 20th and early 21st century.
The list of Oscar-winning artistes gracing the event contains the who’s who in the world of contemporary classical music — like Alberto Gazale. A star baritone of his generation, Gazale’s soft yet powerful voice combined with his acting skills makes his interpretations unique.
Damiano Michieletto has taken on the international scene as one of the most fascinating representatives of the younger generation of Italian directors. His critically acclaimed production of Jaromír Weinberger’s Švanda the Bagpiper ushered him in to the big league.
Ferruccio Furlanetto is both one of world’s most sought-after singers and one of the greatest basses of our time. Furlanetto is distinguished by his vast range, thundering vocal power, and excellent acting ability, and is also an Honorary Ambassador to the United Nations.
Tenor Franceso Meli, in 2002, debuted in Macbeth, Petite Messe Solemnelle and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria at the Festival dei due Mondi in Spoleto, and has never looked back ever since.
Conductor-music director Gustavo Dudamel is in his sixth season as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and is celebrating his 16th season as Music Director of the entire El Sistema project in Venezuela.
Set Designer Lorenzo Cutùli has forged several significant collaborations in the artistic and theatrical field. Cutùli is also a painter and a sculptor, and a professor of Set Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice.
Soprano Maria Agresta, who has won a handful of music competitions and has appeared in many productions over the past six years, caught everybody’s attention when she performed I Vespri Siciliani at Teatro Regio in Turin conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, in 2011.
Mezzo-soprano Marianna Pizzolato has regaled audiences at various editions of the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy, and has recorded operas and concerts for big labels, showcasing her classical singing calibre.
As these superior talents of classical music arena descend in Doha on tomorrow night’s Oscar Della Lirica, it’s anybody’s guess what the grandest event of the weekend – or of the month — will be. You wouldn’t want to miss this one.
