About the opera
The life of Claudio Monteverdi from his Orfeo in 1607 until the première of Arianna in 1608 has all characteristics of an opera plot. In this libretto he loses his wife, fights the critical demon that ridicules his innovative art, suffers from ailments and time pressure to finish the new opera, loses his adored young female soloist who dies form small pox and finally finds the truth of his new music sung by a fabulous actress.
After the Monteverdi year 2017 celebrating his 450th birthday, the public remained ignorant about the person Claudio Monteverdi and his struggles. Together we go back those four centuries and find the protagonists alive on stage again. Star tenor Francesco Rasi (Orfeo, Teseo etc.), the soprano Caterina Martinelli, the librettist Ottavio Rinuccini, theorist G.M. Artusi, Duchess Eleonora de Medici and finally the commedia actress Virginia Andreini, famous for her lamenti.
New music merges with the Old to bridge the gap, and in both the style is speaking in singing, the so called ‘parlar cantando.’ Also we hear for the first time Monteverdi in his own words as written down in letters characterizing the man and self-aware artist full of ironic humour, looking for the truth in music.
Commedia dell’Arte is represented by I Comici Fedeli a genuine ensemble from Venice, trained according to the roots of this primal theatrical form, which stands at the cradle of opera. The dynamic actions of the Comici interact with the five singers who are allegorical representations of Monteverdi’s own projections. Vanità, Piacere, Ragione, Potere and finally Verità.
Cast
libretto and concept Johannes Boer
music Monteverdi, Gagliano, Gastoldi and composers collective: Cornelis de Bondt, Ivan Renqvist Babinchak, Nikos Kokolakis, Cristiano Melli, Renán Zelada
stage director Nynke van den Bergh
costume & stage design Manuel Wittazscheck
Vocalists
Davide Dolores Claudio Monteverdi
Francesca Biliotti Verità / Eurydice / Arianna / Virginia Andreini
Raffaele Giordani Vanità / Orfeo / Teseo / Franceso Rasi
Rosalyn Stürzer Piacere / Amor / Dafne / Caterina Martinelli
Franciska Dukel Potere / Eleonora de Medici
João Paixão Ragione / Dedalo / Artusi / Ottavio Rinuccini
I comici fedeli - Commedia dell’arte ensemble
Agata Garbuio
Arianna Adonnizio
Claudio Colombo
Davide Falbo
Marlon Zighi Orbi
Meredith Airò Farulla
Musica in Scena ensemble
Rebecca Huber violino
Emma Williams violino
Pietro Battistoni violino
Johannes Boer viola da gamba
Israel Castillo viola da gamba
Yussif Barakat double bass
Andrea Gavagnin cornetto & countertenor
Matthijs van der Moolen trombone
Mattia Petrogalli bass trombone
Regina Albanez teorbo / guitarra
Edoardo Vaolorz cembalo / organo
Performances
Den Haag: De Nieuwe Regentes
15 | 17 | 19 | 20 June 2018
Maastricht: AINSI (Theater aan het Vrijthof)
21 | 22 June 2018
Copenhagen (DK): Koncertkirken (CPH Opera Festival)
2 August 2018
Italy
2019
Promotional material
Download the poster and flyer of La Tragedia di Claudio M here, and help us promote this production!
