Thu10Oct
The sopranos Maria Rita Combattelli and Beatriz de Sousa will bring to life the rich and beautiful landowner Adina, in Donizetti’s comic opera L’elisir d’amore. This title opens the new Ópera de Tenerife season and will be put on from 24 to 27 October at Auditorio de Tenerife. Combattelli will perform on Thursday and Saturday while De Sousa will sing on Friday and Sunday.
Italian Combattelli and Portuguese De Sousa are part of the seventh Opera (e)Studio, which they both learned about from other singers who have taken part in this Ópera de Tenerife’s project. Combattelli believes that “the title this year is very interesting, and I thought I should make the most of this opportunity” and De Sousa admits she was encouraged to take part because of “the opportunity of making my debut in the role of Adina”.
Maria Rita Combattelli, who is a student at the Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, recalls that “I’ve always liked singing, since I was a little girl. My mum says I knew all the cartoon songs by heart”. De Sousa, who is studying at University of Music Vienna and at the Liceu’s Conservatoire, started her studies when she was sixteen and came to Tenerife in the past to take part in the masterclasses of Giulio Zappa, who is the artistic director of Opera (e)Studio. In contrast this is the first time Combattelli is on the island.
They are both certain that L’elisir d’amore “is a brilliant and amusing work that blends comic and opera features seamlessly”. Combattelli highlights ‘Adina’s complex psychology; she is a strong, independent woman as shown by every word she says”, while De Sousa points out that “the music is wonderful, it’s the type of music that traps your ear at once and remains with you for a long time”.
Regarding the difficulty of tackling a role like Adina, Beatriz de Sousa explains that “Adina greatly develops as a character throughout the opera and the last aria portrays this psychological and musical culmination”. In Rita Combattelli’s opinion, the complexity of the role “lies in the vocal part, as it is a bel canto role, but you must keep up the energy of the character right through the work”.
Combattelli and De Sousa appreciate coming to the Opera (e)Studio training programme. The Italian singer points out, among others, her “surprise at being treated with the professionality and respect due to professionals”. For her part, De Sousa is delighted with the experience and highlights “the high level they demand from us”. The Lisbon soprano says that “in Opera (e)Studio de Tenerife I’ve found the perfect balance between the support a young singer needs and the necessary exposure to start off her career”.
As for future goals, Combattelli prefers not to strive for a specific one but to “go on taking in the work done these months at Opera (e)Studio and doing her very best every day”, while the Italian singer says her goal is to become “a thorough artist, taking care of voice technique and particularly, being a great performer on the stage”.
L’elisir d’amore opens the 2019 – 2020 opera season under the musical direction of Antonio Méndez, principal conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife. This Ópera de Tenerife production -jointly with Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre- is funded by the European Commission through its Creative Europe scheme. It is a debut in Europe of stage director, Pablo Maritano, who transports us to Hollywood golden age, adorned with the stage design by Serena Rocco, Lorena Marin’s costumes and lighting design by Virginio Levrio.
Fri20Sep
Ópera de Tenerife continues to bring this genre to different municipalities on the island. On Sunday, the 22nd it is offering an opera recital at 1:00 pm at the cloister of Convento de los Padres Dominicos, in the town of Candelaria. The activity is promoted by the Island Cabildo through Auditorio de Tenerife and the collaboration of Candelaria Town Council.
This recital runs parallel with the promotional activities of the Ópera de Tenerife season that starts next October with L’elisir d’amore, a title to be performed by the singers chosen for the Seventh Opera (e)Studio.
Some of these singers will be singing this Sunday in Candelaria. We will have the chance to listen to soprano Beatriz de Sousa, tenor César Arrieta, baritone Alberto Bonifazio and bass Givi Gigineishvili, who will be accompanied at the piano by Claudio Marchetti. Opera (e)Studio’s artistic director, Giulio Zappa, will be the host of the event.
The audience at the cloister will enjoy pieces of L’elisir d’amore, by Gaetano Donizetti, such as ‘Quanto é bella, quanto è cara’; ‘Come Paride vezzoso’; ‘Una parola, or Adina... Chiedi all'aura lusinghiera’; ‘Udite, o rustici’; ‘La ra, la ra, la ra... Esulti pur la barbara’; ‘Venti scudi!’ and ‘Una furtiva lagrima’. Admission to the recital, which closes with a titbit, is free.
L’elisir d’amore is a melodramma giocoso by Giacomo Donizetti and the production to be staged at Auditorio de Tenerife is included in the high-specialization academy Opera (e)Studio that is funded by the European Commission’s programme Creative Europe.
The most famous comic opera by the composer will be performed at Auditorio de Tenerife’s Sala Sinfónica on 24, 25 and 26 October at 7:30 pm and on Sunday, 27 at 6:00 pm. It is a coproduction of Ópera de Tenerife, Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre.
Tue17Sep
Ópera de Tenerife is giving talks on L’elisir d’amore in twelve Tenerife municipalities so that audiences can learn all about the ins and outs of this title: from the main features of the opera to anecdotes related to the author, the characters and the historical context.
These talks start tomorrow at Biblioteca Municipal de Vilaflor, at 5:00 pm and will go on until 22 October, two days before L’elisir d’amore goes on stage at Auditorio de Tenerife’s Sala Sinfónica to open the opera season. Admission to these 60-minute talks is free of charge.
This cultural tour includes fifteen meetings to take place at different venues of the Red Insular de Bibliotecas Públicas [Island Public Library Network]. After Vilaflor, Ópera en Ruta [Itinerant Opera] will visit Puerto de la Cruz (19 September) and Güímar (on the 24th). The meetings in October start on the 1st at the public library of Tabaiba (El Rosario) to then go on to Los Cristianos (on the 4th), Biblioteca Adrián Alemán in La Laguna (on the 8th), Biblioteca Antonio Bello in San Juan de la Rambla (on the 10th), Candelaria (on the 11th), Garachico (on the 15th), Biblioteca del Estado in Santa Cruz (on the 16th), Centro Cultural Casa de la Castaña in La Victoria de Acentejo (on the 17th), Adeje (on the 18th) and finally, La Orotava on 22 October.
Ópera en Ruta is part of the communication strategy of Ópera de Tenerife and Auditorio de Tenerife for the 2019-2020 season. In addition to spreading knowledge about opera, it enhances the economic driving force of this Tenerife project as its productions encourage the local cultural industry.
L’elisir d’amore by Giacomo Donizetti is part of the high-specialization academy Opera (e)Studio. It is the most famous comic opera by the composer thanks to unforgettable melodies like ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ and it will be on stage on 24, 25 and 26 October at 7:30 pm and on Sunday, the 27th at 6:00 pm at Sala Sinfónica in Auditorio de Tenerife. This coproduction of Ópera de Tenerife, Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre is funded through the European Commission programme Creative Europe.
The music director of this production is Antonio Méndez and the stage director is Pablo Maritano who work along with a cast selected in auditions held specifically for the seventh Opera (e)Studio in Bologna, Tbilisi, Madrid and Tenerife.
Fri06Sep
The high-specialization academy has started training the singers to stage ‘L’elisir d’amore’ next October.
The ten singers chosen to take part in the seventh Opera (e)Studio started today, [Friday, the 6th] their working sessions in a comprehensive training period to be carried out at the Auditorio de Tenerife. This artistic improvement work will conclude with the staging of L’elisir d’amore from 24 to 27 October. The title marks the start of Ópera de Tenerife’s 2019-2020 season and it is possible thanks to a co-production with Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre, in a project that is funded by the Creative Europe programme.
The island director for Culture, Leopoldo Santos; Auditorio’s artistic director, José Luis Rivero; Ópera de Tenerife’s intendant, Alejandro Abrante, and Opera (e)Studio’s artistic director, Giulio Zappa, welcomed the singers, who were chosen out of 181 candidates.
The cast for the production of this opera is double as they will sing in alternate performances. It includes the voices of Maria Rita Combatelli (soprano); Beatriz de Sousa (soprano); Klodjan Kaçani (tenor); César Arrieta (tenor); Alberto Bonifazio (baritone); Jacobo Ochoa (baritone); Givi Gigineishvili (bass); Matteo Andrea Mollica (bass); Sofía Esparza (soprano) and Leonora Tess (soprano). The ten members were selected in the auditions held in February in Bologna, Tbilisi, Madrid and Tenerife, which were attended by a total of 181 candidates from 33 countries.
The singers have embarked on the musical and stage work required for a novel opera company. It consists of a series of master classes by the project’s artistic director, Giulio Zappa; the Italian soprano, Mariella Devia; Ópera de Tenerife’s intendant, Alejandro Abrante or the stage director of this production Pablo Maritano. They will tackle both technical aspects and the professional management of an artistic career. This will be combined with work sessions carried out at the pace in a professional company, including costume fittings, make-up tests and rehearsals with Sinfónica de Tenerife.
The current principal conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, Antonio Méndez, will take care of the musical direction of the production. He, along with the stage director, Pablo Maritano, and the costume designer, Lorena Marin, will bring to life an opera that will transport us to the Golden Age of Hollywood.
The performances will be at Sala Sinfónica on Thursday, the 24th, Friday, the 25th and Saturday, the 26th October at 7:30 pm. On Sunday, the 27th the show will be on at 6:00 pm. Tickets can be booked via any of the usual sale channels of Auditorio de Tenerife: at the box office from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm, Monday to Saturday; on www.auditoriodetenerife.com or calling 902 317 327.
Sat06Apr
Volcán de emociones
Ópera de Tenerife’s 2019-2020 season features great composers like Donizetti, Verdi or Handel, but it also includes more avant-garde authors like Ullmann and Krenek, increasing the opera offer to a total of eight titles, which consolidates Auditorio de Tenerife as the major production centre in the Canaries. The details of this new season were disclosed today, Monday the 25th, by the President of the Cabildo, Carlos Alonso; the Island Director for Culture, José Luis Rivero, and Ópera de Tenerife’s intendant, Alejandro Abrante.
The President highlighted the success of the current Ópera de Tenerife season, “that is not over yet and is being very successful”. “As it happens, last Saturday tickets for Turandot were sold out and the audience at Sala Sinfónica gave standing ovation”, recalled Alonso, who added that “when one talks about opera, the first thing that comes to mind is creativity, that’s why Ópera de Tenerife helps understand what Tenerife 2030 means; and they take care of it from very young ages, with the Manos a la Ópera project”, to then admit that at the Cabildo “we are very proud of this project, which opens Tenerife to the exterior”.
Carlos Alonso explained that Ópera de Tenerife season is the most reasonably priced in Spain thanks to its subscriptions, discounts and price reductions. “A new thing is that we have extended to 30 the age limit to benefit from the Young Subscription or the young discount for standard single tickets”.
The island director for Culture detailed that “there are many factors that come into play for the success of Ópera de Tenerife, like professional, technical, educational, social, creative, territorial and the work done to increase audiences”. “Ópera de Tenerife carries Tenerife 2030 as a banner from its home, Auditorio de Tenerife, which has become an Opera house”, he stated.
The Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife and Auditorio de Tenerife are the two mainstays that make Ópera de Tenerife possible, “a project with which we are leaders in opera, at the same level as the great theatres in the world”.
José Luis Rivero detailed that more than 127 cultural activities related to opera are made with programmes that spread the knowledge of opera across the island, like the schemes Ópera en Ruta, Aperitivos Líricos or Ópera Fórum, and just 19 take place at Auditorio de Tenerife, as the remaining 108 go to different municipalities on the Island. “We have over 27,000 viewers, thanks to our pricing policy too, which is the right one to encourage access to opera”.
Alejandro Abrante was clear that “Ópera and Tenerife are two terms that must go together”. In Abrante’s opinion, “Opera (e)Studio is one of our major projects because it encourages young talent and leads to singers who feel from Tenerife”. “Great artists start here and later on come back during the season to return what they received”, said the intendant, who added that out of the 70 artists who have been to this voice improvement academy, 40 are currently following their careers. “We are now a model of opera production”, he concluded.
The season raises the curtain with the seventh Opera (e)Studio, the comprehensive training academy for the development of young artists, which this year is funded by the European Commission through Creative Europe. The title chosen by the projects’ artistic director, maestro Giulio Zappa, is the melodramma giocoso by Gaetano Donizetti, L’elisir d’amore. This co-production of Ópera de Tenerife, Teatro Comunale di Bolognia and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre will be performed four times from 24 to 27 October.
On 19, 21 and 23 November, Rigoletto comes on stage. The title is part of Giuseppe Verdi’s famous popular trilogy, where the title role will be performed by one of the most acclaimed artists of Verdi’s repertoire, Leo Nucci.
To close the first quarter of the season, we’ll enjoy two operas composed by Austrian composers of the first half of the 20th century, who using sarcasm, deals with the issue of totalitarian power. Der Diktator (The Dictator) by Ernst Krenek, composed in 1928 in fascist Italy, and Der Kaiser von Atlantis (The Emperor of the Atlantid) by Viktor Ullmann, composed in 1943 at a concentration camp.
The adventures and misfortunes of the daughter of a Pope, Lucrezia Borgia, by Donizetti, reach Ópera de Tenerife on 17, 19 and 21 March. Stage director Silvia Paoli, who made her debut in Ópera de Tenerife with La Cenerentola (2014) and repeated, with equal success, with Le nozze di Figaro (2015) and I Capuleti e i Montecchi(2017), returns with this international co-production of Ópera de Tenerife, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Ópera de Oviedo and Teatro de la Maestranza de Sevilla. Her interpretation of the opera transports us to the 1930s, where the rise of fascism in Italy marks female behaviour, ruled by the hidden vices and public virtues of a male-centred society.
Ópera en familia is putting on Rinaldo on 25 and 26 April. Ardent battles, spells, and beautiful melodies, like the famous ‘Lascia ch’io pianga’ make this title by George Frideric Handel one of the most acclaimed of his works. The next in-house production, for the Ópera Pocket programme will take us to the unforgettable love story composed by Verdi in The Traviata, which, as in previous occasions, will tour the Island municipalities with the intention of bringing opera to new venues and audiences. Continuing our support to zarzuela, the programme includes the romance La tabernera del puerto by Pablo Sorozábal, one of the most renowned zarzuela composers in the 20th century.
The new opera season also brings the 7th Opera de Tenerife Singing International Competition, which is now established as a not-to-be-missed engagement in the international opera world. We will once again enjoy a range of great voices in La final on 24 June, admission is free, and the Award-winner Concert on 25 June. This season includes masterclasses on voice and performance for young talents, to be held from 28 October to 2 November. In addition, the learning activity Ópera en Ruta, will explain to new audiences the ins and outs of the world of opera and the titles offered.
Antonio Méndez, Philippe Auguin, Pedro Halffter, Andriy Yurkevych, Giovanni Paganelli, Rubén Sánchez-Vieco and Alessandro Palumbo -the latter with Orquesta de la Academia Ópera de Tenerife- will be leading Sinfónica de Tenerife to put music to one more season of productions to be performed in Auditorio de Tenerife along with Coro de Ópera de Tenerife directed by Carmen Cruz.
As in previous years, Ópera de Tenerife offers the chance to get different types of subscriptions which do not only involve a discount on ticket prices, but they also allow you to enjoy exclusive advantages including securing your seat, priority access to the auditorium, free Ópera Bus, or receiving the digital programme ahead of the première.
The titles included in all types of subscription available, Club Ópera and Club Ópera Joven, are: L’elisir d’amore, Rigoletto, Der Diktator and Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Lucrezia Borgia and La tabernera del puerto. The Club Ópera Joven subscription also includes Rinaldo and the Award-winner concerts of the Singing International Competition. This will also enjoy an additional 15% discount for different events at Auditorio de Tenerife like Orquesta Barroca de Tenerife, Quantum Ensemble, Ópera en familia, Ópera Pocket. The offer also includes 10% off at Gastromag in Auditorio, as well as in some cafeterias and restaurants in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The Club Ópera subscription includes different rates like: Ambassador, First-timer, Corporate, Large Families and Groups (conservatoires, music schools and universities) which involve a specific discount for each group ranging from 30 to 40%. If you do not opt for a season subscription, Ópera de Tenerife offers a series of special discounts on standard single tickets for students, unemployed, large families, Ópera en Ruta participants and Ten+ Mayor card holders. Also, new this year, the age range to enjoy the young people discount has been extended to 30 years of age, with tickets at a single price of 5 euros.
The period to renew subscriptions starts tomorrow, [Tuesday, the 26th] and ends on 14 April. The period for new subscribers is from 7 May to 24 October. In both cases, the purchase can be arranged via the Internet, on www.auditoriodetenerife.com, or in person at Auditorio de Tenerife box office from 10 am to 7:30 pm, Monday to Saturday.
All the information on the titles of the 2019 - 2020 season are available on Ópera de Tenerife
Fri08Mar
The artists were selected out of 181 candidates who auditioned for the 7th Opera (e)Studio
After finishing the auditions held in Bologna, Tbilisi, Madrid and Tenerife, Ópera de Tenerife has revealed the names of the artists who will make up the double cast for Gaetano Donizetti‘s L’elisir d’amore, which will open the 2019-2020 season. This title is part of the project by Opera(e)Studio in partnership with Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre, which in this edition is sponsored by the European Community’s Creative Europe programme.
The double cast includes Maria Rita Combattelli and Beatriz de Sousa as Adina, Klodjan Kaçani and César Arrieta as Nemorino, Alberto Bonifazio and Jacobo Ochoa as Belcore, Givi Gigineishvili and Matteo Andrea Mollica as Dulcamara and Sofía Esparza and Eleonora Boaretto as Giannetta.
This year 181 artists from 33 different American, European and Asian countries have taken part in the auditions. The cast includes ten artists from seven different nationalities: Albanese, Colombian, Spanish, Georgian, Italian, Portuguese and Venezuelan. All the auditions were supervised by Giulio Zappa, artistic director of the programme.
The selected singers will be travelling to Tenerife in early September to benefit from comprehensive professional training in all the disciplines related to opera. The artists will work on different musical and stage performance techniques, style, diction, body language, theatrical nature of the role, historical context of the composition, dramaturgy, or libretto studying, among other aspects. Their work will lead to the performance of Donizetti‘s classic L’elisir d’amore, on 24, 25, 26 and 27 October 2019 at Ópera de Tenerife; it will be put on at Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre on 25, 27, 29 February, and 1 March 2020 and at Teatro Comunale di Bologna on April 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, 2020.
Ópera (e)Studio is a programme set up by Ópera de Tenerife in 2013 with the aim of boosting young talent through comprehensive artistic improvement. Its permanent base is at Auditorio de Tenerife, and in the past six years it has staged Così fan tutte [2013], La Cenerentola [2014], Le nozze di Figaro [2015], Don Pasquale [2016], I Capuleti e i Montecchi [2017] and L’italiana in Algeri [2018].
L’elisir d’amore is Donizetti’s highly popular opera buffa and it includes the most famous aria for tenor ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ in addition to a lively plot where the love troubles of beautiful Adina and gullible Nemorino meet with the ploys of trickster Dulcamara and Sargeant Belcore’s jealousy.
Stage director Pablo Maritano is in charge of the production’s stage design, which is inspired by the golden age of cinema. A fantasy world through different Hollywood film sets of that era.
The musical direction of this opera is under the baton of Antonio Méndez, principal conductor of Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife.
Mon25Feb
Some of the best arias by Donizetti were performed
Ópera de Tenerife, in collaboration with Garachico Town Council, staged an opera recital on Sunday, 24 February at 12:00 noon, in the former Convento de San Francisco. The audience had the chance to listen to some of the most outstanding arias by composer Gaetano Donizetti (Bergamo 1797– 1848).
The recital featured tenor David Astorga and soprano Nina Solodovnikova, accompanied by pianist Maestro José Miguel Román. The activity, one of our “Opera Titbits”, was introduced by Ópera de Tenerife’s intendant, Alejandro Abrante.
The different pieces performed included: ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ [L’elisir d’amore], ‘Una parola, o Adina… Chiedi all’ aura lusinghiera’ [L’elisir d’amore], ‘Quel guardo ilcavaliere… So anch’io la virtù magica’ [Don Pasquale], ‘Tornami a dir che m’ami’ [Don Pasquale] and ‘Ah! Mes amis, que jour de fête… Pour mon âme’ [La fille du régiment]. This get-together ended with an aperitif.
This activity, which started last season and has already been to Puerto de la Cruz, La Laguna and Güímar, aims to disseminate opera by offering recitals in different venues across the island of Tenerife.
Mon18Feb
Ópera de Tenerife has just finished the final phase of the auditions that took place in Bologna, Tbilisi and Madrid to select the cast for the production of ‘L’elisir d’amore’. Opera (e)Studio's artistic committee in Tenerife included Opera (e)Studio's artistic director, Giulio Zappa, and Ópera de Tenerife's intendant, Alejandro Abrante, who listened to the last 8 artists of the 181 candidates who have auditioned.
Fri15Feb
Opera (e)Studio’s artistic committee in Madrid, made up of Opera (e)Studio’s artistic director Giulio Zappa; Mauro Gabriele, artistic secretary of Teatro Comunale di Bologna; and the intendant of Ópera de Tenerife, Alejandro Abrante, finish the three days of auditions in Madrid today.
A total of 31 artists have done the auditions for the 'L'elisir d'amore' production that will open Ópera de Tenerife’s next season to then be put on at Teatro Comunale di Bologna and at Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre in Georgia in 2020.
After seeing candidates at Teatro Comunale Bologna, Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre and Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid, the Opera (e)Studio’s team will hold their last auditions in Tenerife on Saturday, 16 February.
The 7th Opera (e)Studio, sponsored by the European Commission’s Creative Europe Programme, is led by Ópera de Tenerife in partnership with Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre.
Fri08Feb
Ópera (e)Studio starts the second stage of auditions at Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre, Georgia, to choose the cast for the production that will open Ópera de Tenerife’s next season, ‘L’elisir d’amore’ by Donizetti. Auditions are chaired by the project’s artistic director Giulio Zappa, and the artistic and general director of Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre, Badri Maisuradze, along with both theatres’ creative teams. The 7th Opera (e)Studio, sponsored by the European Commission’s Creative Europe programme, is led by Ópera de Tenerife in partnership with Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre.
Thu07Feb
The partners taking part in the Opera (e)Studio project -sponsored by the European Commission under the Creative Europe programme- Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre, led by Ópera de Tenerife, singed their collaboration agreement on 6 February. The function was attended by Cabildo’s Culture Director, José Luis Rivero and the Manager of General Affairs of Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Marco Stanghellini, along with Opera (e)Studio artistic director, Giulio Zappa; Ópera de Tenerife’s intendant, Alejandro Abrante and the sovrintendente of Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Fulvio Macciardi. The artistic teams of the three theatres were also present.
Mon04Feb
The heads of the European Commission's Creative Europe programme attended the event.
In the photo, from left to right:
Badri Maisuradze, artistic director and managing director of Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre.
Fulvio Macciardi, sovrintendente of Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Giulio Zappa, Ópera de Tenerife's Ópera (E)Studio artistic director
Alejandro Abrante, intendant of Ópera de Tenerife
Mauro Gabriele artistic secretary of Teatro Comunale di Bologna.
A grandissimo in bocca al lupo to all candidates!
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