Alaskan Mezzo Vivica Genaux Continues to Captivate
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 17, 2007 SUMMARY: ALASKAN MEZZO VIVICA GENAUX CONTINUES TO CAPTIVATE AUDIENCES W ORLDW IDE; TAKES ON THREE NEW ROLES IN 2007-08 SEASON IN BAROQUE AND BEL CANTO REPERTOIRE FOR W HICH SHE IS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED; MAKES DEBUTS W ITH COMPANIES & FESTIVALS IN SPAIN, ITALY, SW ITZERLAND, TURKEY AND W ASHINGTON, DC; NAÎVE RELEASES W ORLD PREMIERE RECORDING OF VIVALDI‘S ATENAIDE; COMMITS TO DISC ANOTHER OF THE COMPOSER‘S RARITIES FOR VIRGIN/EMI, ERCOLE SUL TERMODONTE Charismatic mezzo-soprano VIVICA GENAUX continues to set new standards for virtuosic and expressive performances of music of the Baroque and bel canto eras. Her 2007-08 season finds her adding three new roles, one each by D. Scarlatti, Vivaldi and Rossini, and performing with several opera companies and orchestras for the first time. These, in addition to her recital and symphonic engagements, as well as recordings, give further proof on both sides of the Atlantic of her technical prowess, vocal beauty, vivid character portrayals and pre-eminence in these genres. During the course of the season the total performances as her most popular Rossini ladies (Angelina, Isabella and Rosina), each of which she sings over the following months, reaches more than two hundred. Ms. Genaux‘s season gets underway in San Sebastián, Spain with the first of the three role debuts, her premier appearance with the Cappella della Pietà de‘ Turchini, as the murderously unhinged Nerone in Domenico Scarlatti‘s Ottavia restituita al trono (Aug. 6), where her co-conspirators include: Ruth Rosique (Ottavia), Maria Grazia Schiavo (Poppea), Maria Ercolano (Floro), Cecilia Lavilla (Rosilda), Giuseppe de Vittoria (Balisa) and Paolo López (Dorillo). The production of this rarely-performed work is by Francisco López and is conducted by Antonio Florio. Traveling to New York for the first of several area appearances during the season, she and frequent compère at the piano, Craig Rutenberg, offer a recital (Sept. 1) of Haydn, Viardot, Rossini and Serrano songs as part of the Tannery Pond Concerts in New Lebanon, New York. Due for release in France in September, and in other parts of Europe and the United States shortly thereafter, is the world premiere recording of Vivaldi‘s L‘Atenaide, with Federico Maria Sardelli leading the Orchestra Barocca Modo Antiqua on the Naïve label. Venice‘s La Fenice beckons for a Company debut, under their auspices at the Teatro Malibran, as Irene in Vivaldi‘s Bajazet, which is quickly becoming a staple of her repertoire (Oct. 5, 7m, 12 & 14m), led by Fabio Biondi with Europa Galante. On this occasion her colleagues include Maria Grazia Schiavo (Idaspe), Marina De Liso (Asteria), Lucia Cirillo (Andronico), Daniela Barcellona (Tamerlano) and Christian Senn (Bajazet). Ms. Genaux revisits the United States for her fifth engagement at the Minnesota Opera. As the ever-resourceful Isabella in L‘italiana in Algeri (Nov. 10, 13, 15, 17 & 18m) she mirthfully triumphs over adversity with Alison Bates (Elvira), Andrea Coleman (Zulma), Kenneth Tarver (Lindoro), Andrew W ilkowske (Taddeo), Kyle Albertson (Haly), and Andrea Concetti (Mustafa); Helena Binder directs and Robert W ood conducts. Ms. Genaux was previously heard with the Company in La Cenerentola (1998), Sem iram ide (2000), I Capuleti ed i Montecchi (2001) and Lucrezia Borgia VIVICA GENAUX 2 2007-08 Season Press Release August 17, 2007 (2004). The City of Light beckons for a private concert of Vivaldi and Handel arias at the Salle Gaveau (Dec. 18) for her first collaboration with conductor Jean-Christophe Spinosi, with whom she joins forces again just months later, and the Ensemble Matheus. As 2008 begins she appears for the first time at the Grand Théâtre de Genève in a treasured role, the mistreated Angelina in Cenerentola (Feb. 13, 15, 17m, 19, 21, 23 & 25), with Raffaella Milanesi (Clorinda), Giorgia Milanesi (Tisbe), Maxim Mironov (Don Ramiro), Fabio Maria Capitanucci (Dandini), Bruno de Simone (Don Magnifico) and Giovanni Furlanetto (Alidoro). This new production is directed by Joan Font and conducted by Giuliano Carella. On March 6 Ms. Genaux debuts with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse as the grieving Orfeo in a concert performance of Gluck‘s Orfeo ed Euridice led by Maestro Spinosi. She had previously sung the role in a staged version at Los Angeles Opera. She makes her Turkish debut in Istanbul on March 18 with Andrea Marcon and La Cetra in a Baroque program. Another Biondi/Europa Galante Bajazet follows in Madrid on March 27 with a continuity of the Venetian cast except that Romina Basso replaces Ms. Barcellona as Tamerlano. Ms. Genaux‘s second role debut of the season, Falliero in Rossini‘s Bianca e Falliero, marks her first engagement with W ashington Concert Opera (Apr. 13). In this tale of ill-fated infatuation set in 17th-Century Venice, she appears with Anna Christy (Bianca) and Teddy Tahu Rhodes (Capellio). This is a reunion with the Company‘s Music Director, Antony W alker, who conducted her greatly-acclaimed New York City Opera debut in Sem ele last season. She and Maestro W alker are paired again immediately thereafter in another tale of star-crossed love when she returns to Pittsburgh Opera for Bellini‘s I Capuleti ed i Montecchi (May 3, 6, 9 & 11m). She was previously heard with the Company in Cenerentola (2002) as well as in recital (2005). In this Thor Steingraber production she shares the stage with Laura Claycomb (Giulietta), Arthur Espiritu (Tebaldo), Jonathan Beyer (Lorenzo) and David Pittsinger (Capellio). France is again on the schedule when she sings a recital at Versailles‘ elegant Chapelle Royale (May 26), with Carlos de Aragon as her accompanist in a program of Spanish and Neapolitan songs. She and Maestro Marcon and La Cetra collaborate again, repeating their Istanbul program in Basel (May 31). She renews her association with the Metropolitan Opera for her third engagement with the Company when she brings her charming Rosina to their series of Parks Concerts (mid-June, dates and cast to be announced). Her season concludes with her final new role, Antiope, in the recently resurrected Vivaldi opus, Ercole sul Term odonte, in which she joins Maestro Biondi and Europa Galante anew in Brussels for a Virgin Classics recording, her sixth on the label. For further inform ation, please access Ms. Genaux‘s websites at: www.vivicagenaux.com & www.fanfaire.com /genaux Personal Press Representative for Ms. Genaux: Karen Kriendler Nelson KKN Enterprises 277 W est End Avenue, Suite 11A New York, NY 10023 Tel: (212) 496-5154 Fax: (212) 721-9566 Email: kknenterp@ aol.com, kknenterp@ gmail.com Version #1e • August 17, 2007 .