July 26, 2019, 8 PM
Great Hall of the Dzintari Concert Hall

Performance “Cavalleria Rusticana” by Pietro Mascagni

Performers: opera soloists Aleksandrs Antoņenko (tenor), Deniz Uzun (mezzo-soprano, Germany), Jānis Apeinis (baritone), Alisa Zinovjeva (soprano), Andžella Goba (mezzo-soprano), Jūrmala festival choir, Jūrmala festival orchestra, conductor Vello Pähn (Estonia)

Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” is considered to be the first Italian verism opera. Strong passions, swirling rapids of melodies and culminations in a story of dynamic realities of life, where the drama of main characters will be lived in a concert programme by a constellation of spectacular soloists – the outstanding tenor Aleksandr Antonenko, the young German mezzo-soprano Deniz Uzun, Alisa Zinojeva (born in Latvia and performed world-wide), as well as the soloists of the Latvian National Opera Jānis Apeinis and Andžella Goba.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:

Aleksandr Antonenko has conquered the world’s most famous opera-theatre and concert halls over the last ten years, performing almost 30 roles for tenors. Since 2004, he has become the most internationally renowned Latvian tenor, who has successfully debuted in Berlin’s operas, Dresden Semperoper, Oslo and Stockholm Royal Opera, Geneva, Paris, Rome and Munich Opera Houses, Vienna State Opera, London Covent Garden and New York Metropolitan Theatre. Led by conductor Riccardo Muti, Antonenko’s debut as Otello in the prestigious Salzburg Festival in 2008 was a success. A year later, he successfully debuted at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, where Antonenko now returns regularly, playing the leading tenor roles.

German mezzo-soprano Deniz Uzun is the 37th finalist of the International Belvedere Competition for young opera soloists. She had already performed at the Baden-Baden Festival with Berlin Philharmonic during her studies, playing the role of Armelinda in Jules Massenet’s “Cendrillon”. In 2013, the young singer was invited to participate in the Heidelberg Spring Festival at the Lied Academy, to work with Thomas Hampson and Thomas Quasthoff. Deniz has also sung in the productions of Bavarian State Opera, and has been a soloist of the Zurich Opera since 2016.

They will be joined by our opera soloists – the powerful mezzo-soprano Andžella Goba and manly baritone Jānis Apeinis, as well as Alisa Zinovjeva, who is called the Italian opera diva, born in Latvia. Soprano, who graduated the Santa Cecilia Conservatoire with excellence and studied at Milan’s La Scala Academy, has been living in Italy for several years now and developed her creative talent by working with a wide range of opera theatres, as well as going on world tours.