HEROIC BEL CANTO VICTORIAN OPERA PRESENTS HEROIC BEL CANTO CONCERT WITH ORCHESTRA Composers Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti and Gioachino Rossini Conductor Richard Mills AM Director Elizabeth Hill-Cooper Jessica Pratt soprano Daniela Barcellona mezzo-soprano Carlos E. Bárcenas tenor Kathryn Radcliffe soprano Samuel Piper baritone Shakira Dugan mezzo-soprano Raphael Wong baritone Nathan Lay baritone Matthew Thomas bass-baritone Stephen Marsh baritone Orchestra Victoria Concertmaster Yi Wang Production Manager Peter Darby Stage Manager Emma Wenlock-Bolt Principal Repetiteur Phoebe Briggs Repetiteur Phillipa Safey 14 JULY 2019 Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall Approximate timings Part one: 1 hour Interval: 20 minutes Jessica Pratt Part two: 1 hour Photo: Alessandro Moggi 3 ORCHESTRA WELCOME CELLO HORN Welcome to Victorian Opera’s bel canto excursion for 2019. The ideals and Section Principal Section Principal techniques of this vocal repertoire are at the core of our practice at Melissa Chominsky Jasen Moulton Associate Principal Anton Schroeder ++++ Victorian Opera, and are indicative of the value we place on singing and the Diane Froomes § Principal Third poetry of performance. CONCERTMASTER Sarah Cuming Linda Hewett Yi Wang* Philippa Gardner Sydney Braunfeld § DEPUTY CONCERTMASTER Tania Hardy-Smith Rachel Shaw § The first part of our concert focuses on The selection of music also illustrates Roger Jonsson § Andrea Taylor § Robert Shirley + the prodigious genius of Rossini, with the richness of this tradition and its Melanie Simpson + VIOLIN DOUBLE BASS three operas which frame his working life variety and interest. Certainly, titles Principal 1st Violin Section Principal TRUMPET as a composer; the early Ciro in Babilonia like Ciro in Babilonia, Don Sebastiano Yi Wang Stuart Riley Section Principal (1812) to Semiramide (1823) – also set and Le convenience ed inconvenience Principal 2nd Violin Associate Principal Mark Fitzpatrick in Babylon – to Guillaume Tell (1829). teatrale are probably Australian first Monica Naselow Kylie Davies + Associate Principal Associate Principal 1st Violin Matthew Thorne § Anthony Pope § These pieces demonstrate the heroic performances – yet the music of these Tomomi Brennan Giovanni Vinci + Jenna Smith +++ side of Rossini: his subject matter being operas is wonderful with a consistently Associate Principal 1st Violin FLUTE TROMBONE historical and epic, with plots revolving fine theatricality and lyric felicity. Erica Kennedy Section Principal Section Principal Rebecca Adler around the conflicts of the public and the Lisa-Maree Amos Scott Evans It had to be, because the nineteenth Binny Baik private worlds of the principal characters. Associate Principal Associate Principal century Italian opera industry was not Alyssa Conrau § Karen Schofield Robert Collins + The music is formally structured with Rachel Gamer all that different from the Hollywood Principal Piccolo Principal Bass Trombone phenomenal virtuosity in the vocal Matthew Hassall movie industry of our own time – both Sally Walker + Benjamin Anderson § Rachael Hunt § writing and a growing awareness of the Elijah Cornish ++ being driven by the imperatives of direct Philip Nixon possibilities of the orchestra – from OBOE engagement with the audience, and the John Noble Section Principal CIMBASSO the dazzling effects of the Overture to Chris Ruiter need to delight, entertain and move them, Joshua de Graaf* Karina Filipi ++ Semiramide to the horn and viola solo Lucy Warren Principal Cor Anglais all in a fiercely competitive environment. TIMPANI Tony Zhai Dafydd Camp passages in the arias from Ciro. Zoe Freisberg + Section Principal For me, it is the generous spirit of this CLARINET The second part of our program shifts Edwina Kayser + Guy du Blêt music, its implicit humanity, its implicit Natalia Harvey + Section Principal emphasis to Donizetti via Bellini. Here PERCUSSION compassion and understanding of the Miranda Matheson + Paul Champion § the modes of expression are more lyrical Lynette Rayner + Associate Principal Section Principal human condition (life was generally Mathew Levy and personal, and the playfulness and Lisa Reynolds + Justin Beere shorter in those days remember) – all Lloyd Van’t Hoff + Associate Principal humour of Rossini come to the fore in the VIOLA Matthew Brennan + rendered through the power and artistry excerpts from L’Italiana in Algeri and the Section Principal BASSOON of the voice, which make it a treasure HARP finale from Le Comte Ory. The program Paul McMillan Section Principal worth celebrating and preserving. Associate Principal Lucinda Cran Section Principal also offers opportunities for our own team Yuko Tomonaga + Welcome and enjoy the concert. Jason Bunn* Associate Principal of younger singers to work alongside Catherine Bishop § Matthew Ockenden ≠ * Acting § On Leave Jessica Pratt and Daniela Barcellona – two Nadine Delbridge Principal Contrabassoon + Guest Musician Thomas Higham + Timothy Murray ++ Guest Principal RICHARD MILLS +++ Guest Associate Principal of the most important bel canto singers in Matthew Laing + ++++ Guest Section Principal Artistic Director, Victorian Opera ≠ Courtesy of Opera Australia Orchestra the world today. 4 5 Daniela Barcellona Photo: Amati Bacciardi MUSIC INDEX Rossini, Semiramide - Overture Rossini, Semiramide – ‘Eccomi alfine in Babilonia: Ah, quel giorno ognor rammento’ (Barcellona) Rossini, Ciro in Babilonia - ‘Avrai tu pur vendetta’ (Bárcenas) Rossini, Semiramide - ‘Bel raggio lusinghier’ (Pratt) Rossini, Ciro in Babilonia - ‘Chi disprezza gl’infelici’ (Dugan) Rossini, Guillaume Tell - ‘Asile héréditaire’ (Bárcenas) Rossini, Semiramide - ‘Ebben ... a te; ferisci’ (Pratt and Barcellona) – INTERVAL – Bellini, Norma - Overture Rossini, L’Italiana in Algeri - ‘Cruda sorte’ (Barcellona) Rossini, L’Italiana in Algeri - ‘Ai capricci della sorte’ (Barcellona and Marsh) Donizetti, Linda di Chamounix - ‘O luce di quest’ anima’ (Pratt) Donizetti, Don Sebastiano - ‘Deserto in terra’ (Bárcenas) Donizetti, La Favorite - ‘O mon Fernand’ (Barcellona) Donizetti, Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrale - ‘Livorno, dieci Aprile’ (Radcliffe, Dugan, Piper, Marsh, Lay, Wong, Thomas) Rossini, Le Comte Ory - Trio and Finale ‘A la faveur de cette nuit obscure’ (Pratt, Barcellona, Bárcenas, Radcliffe, Dugan, Piper, Marsh, Lay, Wong, Thomas) 6 BIOGRAPHIES RICHARD MILLS JESSICA PRATT DANIELA BARCELLONA CARLOS E. BÁRCENAS SHAKIRA DUGAN NATHAN LAY Conductor Soprano Mezzo-soprano Tenor Mezzo-soprano Baritone Richard is one of Australia’s Since her debut in the Daniela Barcellona was Colombian-born tenor Shakira Dugan, mezzo Nathan completed his most prolific and title role of Donizetti’s born in Trieste, Italy, where holds a Bachelor of Music soprano has established Bachelor of Music at the internationally recognised Lucia di Lammermoor in she completed her musical Performance and a Master of herself as a vibrant and Melba Conservatorium of composers. He pursues a 2007, Jessica Pratt has studies under the guidance Music (Opera Performance) gifted operatic performer. Music in 2008. He has won diverse career as composer, established herself as one of of Alessandro Vitiello. from the University of She is currently a Young the National Liederfest, conductor and artistic the world’s finest and most After winning numerous Melbourne. His roles have Artist with Victorian Opera Australian Music Events’ director, with an extensive sought-after interpreters prestigious international included Alexander (Il Re and Emerging Artist in the Opera Scholar of the Year, discography of orchestral of bel canto repertoire. competitions including Pastore, Mozart) Michael Richard Divall Emerging the Royal Melbourne the Adriano Belli Award works including his own She has performed in 103 (Pecan Summer, Cheetham), Artist Program with Philharmonic Aria, and placed in Spoleto, Iris Adami compositions. He has held productions for 78 different Tony (Masterclass by Terrence Melbourne Opera. 3rd in the Herald Sun Aria. numerous prestigious Corradetti in Padua, and McNally 2018), Arnoldo Nathan also won the 2016 organisations, in 70 cities posts, and received many the Pavarotti International (Guillaume Tell, Rossini), Shakira made her operatic Australian International over 12 countries, including scholarships, fellowships Voice Competition in Elvino (La Sonnambula, debut with Victorian Opera Opera Award, allowing him seasons at La Scala, La and awards including an Philadelphia, she made Donizetti), Tebaldo (I playing the role of Hansel in to study with acclaimed Fenice, San Carlo, Covent AM in 1999. Currently her debut in the title role Capuleti e I Montecchi, Hansel and Gretel in 2017. In tenor Dennis O’Neill at Garden and The Met. Artistic Director of of Tancredi at the Rossini Bellini), Edgardo (Lucia di 2018, her roles included a the Wales International Victorian Opera, he Jessica was awarded the Opera Festival in Pesaro in Lammermoor, Donizetti), reprise of Hansel in Hansel Academy of Voice whilst was previously Artistic prestigious international 1999, establishing herself as Steuermann (The Flying and Gretel, Watkin Wombat undertaking a Master of Arts Director of West prize for coloratura an interpreter of pants roles, Dutchman, Wagner), Third in The Magic Pudding – The in Advanced Vocal Studies. Australian Opera 1997- sopranos La Siola d’Oro which have brought her Squire (Parsifal, Wagner), Opera, William Tell, covered Nathan has performed with to the stages of the most 2012, Director of the in 2013, the International