FORD OPERA GALA
featuring
Stars of the Bolshoi Opera
City Hall, Cork on Thursday 22nd November 2001
National Concert Hall, Dublin on Saturday 24th November 2001
A magnificent cast, all principal artistes with the fabulous Bolshoi Opera in Moscow comes to Ireland especially for the Ford Opera Gala at the City Hall, Cork on Thursday 22nd November and at the National Concert Hall, Dublin on Saturday 24th November. This trio of Russian artists are specialists in the Italian repertoire and, led by internationally renowned tenor Badri Maisuradze they will perform favourite arias and duets from the world’s most popular operas. The accompanist will be the flamboyant Phillip Thomas, whose outstanding talent and amiable disposition has endeared him to Opera Gala audiences everywhere. Special guests in Cork will be the Band of the 1st Southern Brigade with their conductor, Captain Liam Daly and in Dublin the DIT Wind Ensemble conducted by William Halpin.
Tenor Badri Maisuradze possesses “ a voice that ranges from a powerful mid-register to a top of silken delicacy”. Thus wrote one of the critics smitten by this affable Georgian artiste’s previous appearance in the Opera Gala series. This splendid tenor has appeared in all the great opera houses around the world including La Scala Milan, Berlin, Madrid, Australia and the United States.
Lolita Semenina makes her Irish debut and is one of the leading stars of the new generation of Russian singers. She has performed all over the world including France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Africa and South America to great critical acclaim.
Returning to the Opera Gala series for the second time baritone Yuri Nechaev has a commanding stage presence and is also a fine interpreter of the great arias of Verdi and Puccini. He has also sung in the world’s major opera houses including La Scala Milan and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
The programme for these performances will be a treasure trove of musical gems by Verdi, Leoncavallo, Rossini, Bellini, Offenbach and Puccini amongst others.
An evening at an Opera Gala is a truly unique experience for the listener. Presented in an attractive “drawing room” setting, concert narrator David McInerney introduces the artistes and explains the story behind the arias to the audience. The Ford Opera Gala featuring the Stars of the Bolshoi is particularly enticing as it offers the listener a rare opportunity to hear these magnificent voices perform an extremely popular repertoire together on the same stage outside of Russia.
These Opera Gala performances are made possible through the generous sponsorship of Ford Ireland and the support of the Irish Examiner, the Sunday Independent, RTÉ and Clarion Hotels.
Tickets for the Ford Opera Gala are on sale at Pro Musica, Oliver Plunkett St., Cork, Tel: 021 427 1659 and in Dublin tickets may be purchased at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, Tel: 01 417 000. Concessions are available for musical societies, OAPs, the unemployed and students. |
