Teatro Lirico D’Europa Giorgio Lalov, Artistic Director History and Highlights of 17 Seasons of American Tour Reviews Teatro Lirico D’Europa was created in 1988 by the late Yves Josse, a former ballet divo and brilliant French arts promoter, and Giorgio Lalov, a young Bulgarian opera singer who made his debut at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, at the age of 25 while participating in Scala’s famous international training program for young singers. The collaboration between Josse and Lalov was a huge success in a very short time, resulting in tours with over 250 performances a season throughout France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Sicily, and Portugal including performances for Opera Dijon, performances at Salle Pleyel, Paris, Pavillion Baltard, Paris, Okinawa Performing Arts Center, Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Theatre Carre, Amsterdam, Congresshaus, Zurich, Theatre Trinidade, Lisbon, Teatro Atlantida, Barcelona, Salida de La Compania, Madrid, Teatro Cervantes, Madrid, Teatro Bueno Vallejo, Madrid, Teatro Lope de Vega, Seville, Le Cirque Royale, Brussels and L’Atrium Theatre on the Island of Martinique. Lalov created the sets and costumes for the productions and organized the chorus and orchestra in Bulgaria. He drew soloists for the productions from a huge reservoir of operatic talent in Bulgaria, central Europe and the USA. Josse booked the performances for the company from his office in Paris. From the very beginning, the company established itself as highly competent in delivering traditional, full-scale productions featuring a full, professional orchestra and chorus, and professional opera singers who performed at the top national theatres in their native countries. The unusual chemistry of the company proved to be very popular with European audiences. Teatro Lirico D’Europa had completed over 2000 performances worldwide at the time of Josse’s passing in 1995. Winter 2000 manifested a new beginning for Teatro Lirico D’Europa. The popular company had developed a firm history of success in Europe with a huge portfolio of hundreds of rave reviews for full scale opera productions that had been presented at 180 different venues including international summer festivals such as Festival Busetto, Festival San Giovanni Valdarno, and open air festivals in Spello, Montecatini Terme, Siena, Chianciano Terme, Cortona, Padova and Aimini in Italy.The company also had a fine collection of outstanding, professionally mastered live CD recordings. Winter 2000 marked the first major American tour for the company. The response to the debut tour from both press and theater management was very positive indeed. Teatro Lirico D’Europa has now completed over 700 performances in the USA at 120 different venues including multiple performances for over a dozen different regional opera companies and has recently added performances in South America to its list of touring regions. The February 2002 issue of OPERA NEWS presented a 4-page article on Teatro Lirico D'Europa written by former BOSTON GLOBE opera critic Richard Dyer that stated: "In the past couple of years the company has presented TURANDOT, AIDA and NABUCCO in Boston. The physical productions and Lalov's staging were reassuringly traditional. Lalov's staging tells the story clearly. The solo and ensemble singing in all three operas was lusty, whole hearted-full throated and honest. Something personal and passionate that is often missing from evenings of opera.” OPERA NEWS — Richard Dyer — February 2002 Teatro Lirico D'Europa embarks on its 18th consecutive season of US tours in Winter/Spring 2017 with performances of four different full-scale operas. Teatro Lirico D'Europa resumed touring in Europe in summer 2011 and currently performs in Italy, Spain and France at major venues and summer opera festivals in addition to its annual winter US tours. !2 About GIORGIO LALOV Co Founder of Teatro Lirico D'Europa and current General Manager/Artistic Director Gueorgui Lalov (Giorgio) was born in Telesh, Bulgaria, in 1958. His father Lalo, a doctor, and his mother, Stoyanka Kostadinova, an elementary school teacher and Bulgarian folk singer, were educated patrons of the arts. Although his father died when he was just 9 years old, Giorgio was accepted at an elite boarding school in the capital city of Bulgaria, where all the lessons were taught in French. When he graduated from high school in 1976 he was fluent in French and English. That fall he entered the Bulgarian National Academy of Music and went on tour in Italy with a choir from the University. While in Milan, he auditioned for and was accepted at the International School for Young Opera Singers at La Scala where he went on to make his debut at the age of 25. After living in Italy for a short time, Lalov became fluent in Italian. In 1986, while on tour with a small opera company in France, he met his future business partner, Yves Josse, a former ballet divo who was booking opera and ballet tours. Giorgio had many resources. He spoke several languages, could organize the creation of sets and costumes in Bulgaria and could put together an excellent orchestra and chorus. He knew many fine opera singers in Bulgaria, central Europe, and the USA. By 1988 Josse and Lalov were collaborating on what was to become the most successful opera touring company in Europe. At the time of Josse's death in 1995, Teatro Lirico was performing over 250 shows a season throughout eight different countries in central Europe. Winter 2000 marked Teatro Lirico’s first major American tour. The rest is history. The reviews from the American tours completed thus far speak for the quality and consistency of the company that has now completed TWELVE major US tours that include performances at 105 different venues. "I'm not alone in hoping that Giorgio Lalov, the talented singer turned creator of Teatro Lirico D'Europa stays well, healthy and continues to bring us such magnificent productions. We can only hope to see more from this company in years to come." ILLINOIS TIMES — Ann Kerr !3 U.S. REVIEWS FOR TEATRO LIRICO D’EUROPA FROM WINTER 2000 — WINTER 2016 About GIORGIO LALOV 3 U.S. REVIEWS FOR TEATRO LIRICO D’EUROPA FROM WINTER 2000 — WINTER 2016 4 Donizetti — LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR 5 Pucinni — TURANDOT 12 Puccini — MADAMA BUTTERFLY 23 Puccini — LA BOHEME 37 Bizet — CARMEN 47 Puccini — TOSCA 55 G. Verdi — AIDA 63 G. Verdi — RIGOLETTO 80 Rossini — IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA 91 Verdi — LA TRAVIATA 102 Orff — CARMINA BURANA/Ravel — BOLERO 113 Mozart — LE NOZZE DI FIGARO 114 Donizetti — L’ELISIR D’AMORE 114 Johann Strauss — DIE FLEDERMAUS 115 Mascagni — CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / Leoncavello — I PAGLIACCI 120 OPERA GALA GREAT MOMENTS IN ITALIAN OPERA FROM OPERA TO BROADWAY A TRIBUTE TO PAVAROTTI concerts with orchestra, chorus, soloists and costumes 126 Presenting Theatres in Europe 131 Presenting Theatres in the USA 136 American singers and conductors employed by Teatro Lirico D'Europa in Europe and the USA 141 !4 Donizetti — LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Donizetti — LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR “Teatro Lirico D’Europa made its annual return to the Garde Arts Center Thursday night to stage Donizetti's vocal showpiece “Lucia di Lammermoor” with a cast well worth showing off. The heart of the opera — the tale of poor Lucia, forced into marriage and forced to abandon her true love, Edgardo — is the third act mad scene, one of the touchstones of the operatic repertoire and perhaps the greatest coloratura showpiece in the repertoire. And in the mad scene, Yudina was superb. In the mad scene, Lucia appears in her bloodstained nightgown before the guests who have attended her forced marriage, having used a few dagger thrusts in the wedding chamber to lose both her new husband and her marbles. In a long spellbinding sequence, Yudina traversed the spectrum of bel canto technique, from pinpoint staccato coloratura to long, liquid lines in her gorgeous mid-voice. At her most dramatic, gasping “il fantasma” again and again in horror, she was riveting, and at her most winsome, recapping the tenderness of the earlier love duet “Ah! Verranno a te sull'amore,” she brought the emotional cycle full circle. In every featured moment, the attractive soprano never once cut corners, never cheating the audience out of a thrilling finish. Yudina pushed to the top of her range in the finale to every aria, duet and set piece and was as solid at the top as she was flexible in her mid-range. The other key principals were nearly as fine as Yudina. American baritone Theodore Lambrinos was vocally winning and Ukrainian tenor Igor Borko was strong and effortless as Edgardo. Russian basso Mikhail Kolelishvili of Marinnsky Theatre dominated the stage and rattled the foundations as Raimondo.” THE DAY — Milton Moore — October 2006 Gifted Russian Singers lift Teatro's LUCIA "There were two gifted singers from the Kirov Opera as the star-crossed lovers, soprano Larissa Yudina and tenor Evgeni Akimov. Yudina's voice boasts an unusual coloration, ample and accurate flexibility, a neat trill, and flaming top notes. In the Mad Scene she was both spectacular and touching. Akimov is a real find, the best. He's got a strong, attractive lyric voice and sings and acts with persuasive passion. Bass, Viacheslav Pochapsky made a sonorous and sympathetic priest. As the villain Enrico, American baritone James Bobick strode with malevolent swagger and sang forcefully. The cheering audience was clearly happy.” BOSTON GLOBE — Richard Dyer — February 2006 !5 VOICES TRIUMPH! LUCIA sends opera lovers to Scotland, 1835 "Teatro Lirico D'Europa delivered handsomely last night where it really counts; in the voice department. They sure did sing. The lovely, supple voice of Soprano Larissa Yudina suited the role so well delivering Lucia's pearl-like notes with confidence ease, beauty and real style.