THE BORD GÁIS NEW YEAR OPERA GALA
City Hall, Cork, Saturday 18th January @ 8.00pm
University Concert Hall, Limerick, Thursday 23rd January @ 8.00pm
National Concert Hall, Dublin, Saturday 25th January @ 8.00pm
The sparkling Bord Gáis New Year Opera Gala tour opens at the City Hall on Saturday 18th January, goes on to the University Concert Hall, Limerick on Thursday 23rd January, with the final concert in the tour taking place at the National Concert Hall, Dublin on Saturday 25th January.Favourite arias, duets and choruses from the world’s best loved operas will be performed in a drawing room setting and introduced by the entertaining concert narrator, David McInerney.
A top-class cast features in the gala, led by the young Italian tenor Roberto Aronica who is now emerging as a major world star.He possesses one of the most stunning lyric tenor voices singing on the world’s opera stages today, and regularly takes over from Roberto Alagna as the principal tenor in the premier opera houses around the world.Aronica appeared in the Opera Gala series in 1997, and since then has gone on to sing principal roles at La Scala Milan, the Metropolitan Opera New York, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Turin, Madrid, Vienna and San Francisco.The gifted tenor has often been compared to his teacher, the legendary Carlo Bergonzi, with whom the young artist maintains a fruitful association. Before his Irish performances in January, he will sing in La Traviata with Paolo Gavanelli at Covent Garden, he then returns to Vienna in February to sing in Rigoletto.
One of Ireland’s leading young sopranos, Alison Roddy, makes her debut in the Opera Gala series.Alison is now a Company Principal at English National Opera performing with the Company last season to great critical acclaim. Alison has also performed in Vienna, New Zealand, Ottawa and Bielefeld.
Making his debut in the Opera Gala series is the Italian baritone Angelo Veccia who studied at the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York.His performances in the United States include the Newport Festival, with Connecticut Grand Opera and he sang Haydn’s Paukenmesse with the New York Symphony Orchestra at the famous Alice Tully Hall in the Lincoln Centre.In 1990 he recorded Tosca directed by Giuseppe Sinopoli and performing together with Placido Domingo, Mirella Freni and Samuel Ramey for Deutsche Grammophon.Angelo Veccia has performed in all the major opera houses in Europe including La Scala Milan and the Arena di Verona.He has also worked with the famous Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, and regularly performs with eminent conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Nello Santi and Giuseppe Sinopoli.
The accompanist is the exceptionally talented Phillip Thomas who has participated many times in the Opera Gala series.His rapport with artiste and audience alike has been the hallmark of this fine musician.
Special guests in Cork are the combined voices of the Wilcollane Singers/Cork Garda Choir, in Limerick special guests are the Voices of Limerick and in Dublin the Glasnevin Musical Society.Concert narrator for this evening will be the well-informed David McInerney, another old friend of the Opera Gala series.
Bord Gáis have sponsored the New Year Opera Gala for the past twelve years and their generosity has ensured the continuation of this extremely popular and festive event in the Opera Gala calendar.The tour, which will be directed by Deirdre O’Tuama, is sure to be a sell-out.Tickets will be available at the Central Box Office, Cork, (Booking fee of 2 euro will apply to telephone bookings) Tel.021 4543210, University Concert Hall, Limerick, Tel 061 331549 and at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, Tel. 01 4170000.
The Sunday Independent, The Irish Examiner, RTÉ, Clarion Hotels Ireland and the Herbert Park Hotel also support this event. |
