A new Fondazione staging in co-production with Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Ernani” will be staged at Teatro La Fenice from March 16 to 28, 2023.
“Ernani” was Verdi’s fifth opera and his first commission from La Fenice in Venice, where it premiered in 1844. Verdi knew how to put characters marginalized by society in the limelight, such as a hunchbacked buffoon in Rigoletto, a courtesan in Traviata, or an enslaved Ethiopian princess (Aida).
The setting is 16th-century Spain: Don Juan of Aragon, from whom civil war took away noble title and wealth, is now the bandit Ernani; yet he remains faithful to the chivalric code of honor. The music is pure Verdi, with sweeping choruses, passionate arias and emotional concertati. The story of three men courting a single woman offers Verdi an opportunity to explore the expressive qualities of three types of male voices: tenor, baritone and bass.
The artistic cast includes: Piero Pretti (Ernani), Ernesto Petti (Don Carlos), Michele Pertusi (Don Ruy Gomez de Silva), Anastasia Bartoli (Elvira), Rosanna Lo Greco (Giovanna), Cristiano Olivieri (Don Riccardo), Francesco Milanese (Jago). Also, Riccardo Frizza (conductor), Alfonso Caiani (chorus master), Andrea Bernard (director), Alberto Beltrame (sets), Elena Beccaro (costumes), Marco Alba (light designer), Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro la Fenice.
Website: www.teatrolafenice.it
Location: La Fenice Opera House, Venice
Schedule: March 16 – 28, 2023
