Three great interpreters of Giuseppe Verdi’s music, soprano Eleonora Buratto, tenor Luciano Ganci and baritone Franco Vassallo, are the protagonists of the gala proposed by the Teatro Comunale di Bologna on Sunday, February 26th, as part of “VIVA Verdi”, the programme of extraordinary concerts for the acquisition and valorisation of the composer’s house-museum in Sant’Agata di Villanova sull’Arda, promoted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with ANFOLS, the National Association of Lyric and Symphonic Foundations. On the podium of the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Comunale – prepared by Gea Garatti Ansini – is another appreciated Verdi interpreter, Daniel Oren. Engaged these days in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Comunale Nouveau, Ganci has made himself available to sing on this occasion, given the indisposition of Francesco Meli.
The “Verdi Gala” will take place at 8.00 p.m. at the Comunale Nouveau, a new venue of the Bologna theatre in Piazza della Costituzione, in the presence of the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano, and will be broadcast by Rai Cultura on Rai5 in prime time at 9.15 p.m. and repeated on Sunday, March 5th at 9.00 a.m. on Rai3. On February 26th at 9.15 p.m., the concert can also be heard on Rai Radio3. The rich programme explores famous operas by the “swan of Busseto” such as Luisa Miller, Un ballo in maschera, Rigoletto, Nabucco, La forza del destino, Otello, Aida, La traviata and Il trovatore.
Buratto will sing Amelia’s aria ‘Morrò, ma prima in grazia’ from Un ballo in maschera and Donna Leonora’s aria ‘La Vergine degli angeli’ from La forza del destino, and will be Leonora, alongside Ganci as Manrico and Vassallo as Conte di Luna, in the trio ‘Tace la notte! Immersa nel sonno…’ from Il Trovatore, at the end of the evening. Ganci will also perform Radamès’s aria “Celeste Aida” from Aida and Rodolfo’s “Quando le sere al placido” from Luisa Miller. Vassallo will again tackle Rigoletto’s aria “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata” and Giorgio Germont’s aria “Di Provenza il mare, il suol” from La Traviata. Verdi’s well-known symphonic and choral pages will not be missing.
Tickets, from EUR 10 to EUR 40, are on sale at the TCBO box office (Largo Respighi 1) and online at www.tcbo.it. Any tickets still available on the evening of the event will be sold at the Comunale Nouveau box office (Piazza della Costituzione 4/a) one hour before the start of the performance.
All proceeds from the concert will be donated to the protection of Villa Verdi. Participating in the “Verdi Gala” thus becomes an opportunity to contribute to preserving and enhancing the historical and artistic heritage of Villa Verdi, the composer’s house museum, which has been closed to the public for several months. You can also show your generous support by donating by bank transfer to the IBAN code IT81E0100003245348029368004.