Turandot Opera Comes to the Palau de la Música Catalana
25.04.2024
TURANDOT, BY G. PUCCINI, WILL OFFER TWO PERFORMANCES AT THE PALAU DE LA MÚSICA CATALANA
The premiere at the Palau will take place this Saturday, April 27th at 6:30 PM, following the public and critical success of its premiere at La Faràndula de Sabadell, which welcomed 3,200 spectators. The production will stage a second performance at the modernist venue on Saturday, May 11th at 6:30 PM. Tickets for both shows are nearly sold out.
Maribel Ortega, Antoni Lliteres, Ivana Ledesma, and Tina Gorina lead a stellar cast. Additionally, the production features solo voices by Jeroboám Tejera, Jordi Casanova, Carles Daza, Jorge Juan Morata, Marc Sala, and Cristòfol Romaguera.
Daniel Gil de Tejada, musical director of the Fundació Òpera a Catalunya, once again takes on the musical direction of Turandot, having previously directed it in 2015 during its first performance in the cycle. Stage direction is by Carles Ortiz from Terrassa, with whom Òpera a Catalunya regularly collaborates.
With the programming of this title, Òpera a Catalunya joins the commemoration of the centenary of Puccini's death in 2024, presenting a total of four titles by the Italian composer within the Symphonic cycle at the Palau de l'Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès.
The cast of soloists will be led by soprano Maribel Ortega, a regular performer on the main stages of Spain and abroad, as well as in the Òpera a Catalunya season, in the leading role of La Principessa Turandot. The Andalusian soprano successfully performed this role in July 2023 at the Teatro Real in Madrid, replacing soprano Ewa Plonka in the production by Nicola Luisotti and Robert Wilson. Previously, Ortega had portrayed Princess Turandot at the Opera of Oviedo (2012) and in the Òpera a Catalunya season (2015). The role of Il Principe ignoto (Calaf) will be portrayed in the performances in Sabadell by the Mallorcan tenor Antoni Lliteres, a familiar face in the cycle following his participation in productions of La Traviata, Macbeth, and Rigoletto, and who has sung in major Spanish theaters. Although he previously played the role of Pong (Gran Teatre del Liceu, 2023), Lliteres will make his debut as Calaf with this production of Turandot. One of the other main roles, that of Liù, will be shared between two singers: Argentine soprano Ivana Ledesma, making her debut in the cycle, and soprano Tina Gorina from Girona, returning once again to Òpera a Catalunya after her successful debut as Cio-Cio-San in the production of Madama Butterfly (2023). Both had previously interpreted the role of Liù.
The other solo voices will be the bass-baritone from Tenerife Jeroboám Tejera as Timur, the tenor from Reus Jordi Casanova as Emperor Altoum, the baritone from Barcelona Carles Daza as Ping, the tenor from Valencia Jorge Juan Morata as Pang (making his role debut), the Barcelona native tenor Marc Sala as Pong, and the Mallorcan baritone Cristòfol Romaguera as a Mandarin. All of them are regular collaborators in Òpera a Catalunya productions.
Regarding the musical direction, this production is under the leadership of the musical director of the Fundació, Daniel Gil de Tejada, one of the most acclaimed conductors of his generation, winner of six international competitions that have taken him to conduct in Italy, France, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania. He has been working with the Amics de l’Òpera de Sabadell since 2003, directing thirty-eight titles. Gil de Tejada conducted the production of Turandot presented for the first time within the season in 2015. As in all Òpera Catalunya productions, the soloists are accompanied by the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès and the Cor Amics de l’Òpera de Sabadell, under the direction of Daniel Gil de Tejada. The artistic direction of the season is by Mirna Lacambra. In this proposal, the white voices of the Coral de l’Escola Sant Nicolau are also included, with preparation by soprano Laura Obradors.
Commemoration of the Puccini Year
In 2024, on the occasion of Sabadell being the capital of Catalan culture, four operas by Giacomo Puccini are presented at the Teatre La Faràndula as part of the Òpera de Sabadell Season, in the year of the centenary of his death; an organizational, artistic, and technical milestone within the reach of few theaters in the world. The Fundació Òpera a Catalunya and Sabadell thus adhere to the commemoration of the centenary of the composer's death in a particularly relevant year for the city. Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) has been and continues to be one of the most prominent composers in the Òpera a Catalunya season and is a reference for the company. Throughout 2024, four of his most emblematic titles can be seen in Sabadell: Manon Lescaut (February 21, 23, and 25), Turandot (April 17, 19, and 21), and in the next season, La Bohème and Tosca.
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