Author: Francesco Meli

Waiting for Don Carlo in Florence

Dec 26 2022

I made my debut in this title role at Teatro alla Scala in January 2017. Once again, I’m taking on this Verdi opera, such a pulsating, tormented and complex work, here at the Teatro del Maggio during the festival devoted to Verdi. In Milan, the five-act version was preferred, but here in Florence we’re performing the four-act version, which is also my favourite.

I am also fascinated by the creative process, the adaptations, corrections and cuts that the composer made to this work over the twenty years that passed between the first version in French and the final 1886 version. With Verdi, nothing is left to chance. In studying the different versions, I have found even more evidence of this. However, the completeness of the more frequently staged 1884 Milan version is fascinating and moving. It can be seen, firstly, in the contrast between different parts, when the rapid flurry of events and frenetic music give way to lyrical, melodic oases of absolute beauty. The opera’s appeal is a result of theatrical effect combined with musical genius. But there is no doubt that the individual characters are also fascinating. I am thinking, above all, of Philip Il, and of Rodrigo, but also the Queen. The opera is not named after Don Carlo by mere chance: in the dramatic conflicts around which the plot develops, which can be summed up as rivalry between father and son (Philip II and the Prince, Don Carlo), and differing political viewpoints between the King and Rodrigo and, above all, between the State and the Church, Don Carlo is an impetuous young man when moved by patriotic feelings, and ardent in his obstinate, dangerous love for Elisabeth. Verdi assigns him a challenging tessitura, which demands full mastery of one’s voice. At the same time, he also requires Don Carlo to sing mezza voce, helping to highlight the more lyrical side of this fundamentally impulsive character.

This new production of Don Carlo, on stage for five performances from 27 December 2022 to 8 January 2023, is led by conductor Daniele Gatti and a creative team who seek to highlight, above all, the tragic nature of power (the director is Roberto Andò). There is a stellar cast and anticipation runs high, as is to be expected for this opera which is not staged very often. There will be a live radio broadcast of the 27 December performance, on Rai Radio 3.

Uniti per Verdi

Nov 27 2022

For me and for most Italians, Verdi’s Villa in Sant’Agata is more than a home and more than a museum. It is a sanctuary, full of mementos, of art, and of Italian political and social history. Because of the well-known family situation, since 31st October this year the villa has been closed to the public and the building put up for auction. I have given voice to the feelings of the artists who want the villa to be a part of the heritage of all Italians, to be preserved, treasured and accessible to everyone. We want the State and other institutions that are involved in any way to know that we will not be silent until a positive outcome has been reached, and we want everyone to know that we will continue to put our ideas into action to support this cause. That is why we have created a virtual gathering of an audience who love Verdi and consider him to be one of the fathers of the nation.

On 21st November we performed in the Gala entitled Uniti per Verdi at the Teatro Lirico di Milano, thanks to the support and the precious contribution of the Società del Quartetto di Milano and, in particular, of its President Ilaria Borletti Buitoni. There were … of us singing, but there could have been one hundred of us, such was the support given publicly by colleagues who were unable to take part due to engagements at theatres elsewhere. Along with conductor Riccardo Frizza, who eagerly seized on my idea and also involved his colleagues Michele Gamba and Sesto Quatrini in the project, I would like to thank Paolo Mandelli of the OFI, who dealt with all the organization and the “call to arms” of members of other major Italian orchestras, creating an ensemble that could give full expression to the music. None of us received a fee and thanks to the free live stream on the Corriere della Sera website, an incredible 300,000 viewers were able to attend the Gala.

My colleagues and I were overwhelmed by a tide of warmth, pride and devotion to Verdi. We gave a lot but we received even more back, including confirmation of a quality that appeared almost to have been lost: the generosity of artists and audience in the opera world, who know when to give with their hearts.

Our and your message rang out loud and clear to those who needed to hear it. And now? We will remain vigilant, and continue with our requests and our pressure, until the question of Villa Sant’Agata reaches a positive outcome.

Ernani at the Maggio Festival

Nov 08 2022

I am truly delighted to be performing one of my signature roles at the Maggio Autumn Festival. Ernani is a revolutionary, an unconventional man, who upholds his principles and defends his beloved at all costs, who is coherent with himself and his honour. He keeps his promises up until death: a character from whom we can learn a lot. Once again, Verdi gives us a hero full of ideals. This new staging in Florence of Ernani by director Leo Muscato, conducted by Maestro James Conlon, aims to outline these characteristics which I believe are fundamental. I hope that the live radio broadcast on Rai Radio 3 of the performance on 10 November, will not only give us the opportunity to reach a far wider audience, but also contribute to discussion around Verdi, his supremacy in the musical, political and artistic history of Italy, and around the importance of continuing to draw attention to the question of Villa Verdi in Sant’Agata, so that Italians will soon be able to enjoy all that it offers.

Meli in Florence

Aug 03 2022

Dear friends,
next season, my relationship with the Teatro del Maggio and the Florence audience will become even closer, thanks to performances in four of what have become signature roles for me, scheduled one after the other from November 2022 to April 2023. It will be a great honour for me to spend so much time in this city which I love so deeply and to sing as Ernani, Don Carlo, Alfredo and Don Josè under the baton of such eminent conductors as James Conlon, Daniele Gatti and Zubin Mehta (the latter, for La Traviata and Carmen). I hope that it will be an opportunity for me to accept the invitations from my Florentine friends and to discover the less popular palazzi and works of art: the secret corners of this city with its calm, luxurious beauty, but also the wine bars and trattorie where I can sample true Tuscan specialities and the great wines of the region.

Take a look at the magnificent Maggio calendar here and, above all, don’t forget to buy tickets for these performances.

18 years with La Scala

Apr 25 2022

Dear friends,

throughout the first 20 years of my life in opera, the 18 years of collaboration with Teatro alla Scala have played an important part. In a few days time I’ll be singing here at La Scala as Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera. Everything started in 2004 with Dialogues des Carmelites under conductor Riccardo Muti, with stage direction by Robert Carsen. After that came Otello (Cassio), Idomeneo, Don Giovanni, Maria Stuarda, Der Rosenkavalier, Carmen, Giovanna d’Arco, I due Foscari, Don Carlo, La traviata, Ernani, Tosca, Il trovatore, Aida, L’elisir d’amore and Macbeth. In between, came the two masterpieces for orchestra and choir, La petite Messe by Rossini and the Verdi Requiem (at La Scala and in the cathedrals of Milan, Brescia and Bergamo, again with the Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala), the Hymn of the Nations by Verdi and other concerts and events. It has been a marvellous journey during which I have formed a bond with the Milanese theatre, which has become more a second home than a place of work. I am grateful that throughout this journey I have been able to work with wonderful stage directors and colleagues, with whom I have shared magnificent experiences, but above all with the conductors who followed that first experience with Muti: Riccardo Chailly, Myung-Whun Chung, Daniel Harding, Nello Santi, Marco Armiliato, Nicola Luisotti, Adam Fisher, Michele Mariotti, Antonino Fogliani, Oleg Caetani, Gustavo Dudamel, Massimo Zanetti, Michele Gamba and Philippe Jordan.

Recital, 2017 © Archive at Teatro alla Scala

My first 20 years of Opera

Apr 20 2022

Dear friends,

a twenty year long career is a very important milestone. Not a finishing post, because the road ahead is still long and full of delights and pitfalls. I believe I am lucky because I can recount such a long personal history in music and theatre. Over the years of my career, from its beginnings until today, I’ve had the honour of working alongside great artists and getting to know new, exciting environments. Since my first performance (Malcom in Macbeth at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto) many things have changed in my artistic and private life. Let’s say that these two “lives” have grown together and are indissolubly linked, projected towards a future in which family and music will continue to walk side by side.

I have lived through great cultural change within the opera theatre, with stage direction that is becoming increasingly experimental and elaborate and musical research that is attentive to philology and authenticity of the score. The life of a musician is at the same time many-coloured and monochrome: great experiences, wonderful people in your daily life, but also the routine imposed by the demands of the voice and the worries of being far from home.

In 20 years I have sung over fifty roles, from Mozart to Stravinsky, from the great romantic Belcanto heroes to the complex tenor characters of the Verdi repertoire. The thrill of working with conductors of the standing of Maazel, Chailly, Muti, Temirkanov, Plasson, Pappano or Mehta, is an honour which I would never have expected to have. Then there are the great theatres: Paris, Milan (with the theatre that is closest to my heart), Vienna, London, New York, Tokyo, Chicago, with their wonderful orchestras. I have learnt many things, most importantly the understanding that all the gifts an artist gives an audience are reciprocated. The audience immediately senses a musician’s generosity and sincerity and rewards him accordingly.

The presence of my wife, Serena Gamberoni, also an opera singer with a wonderful career, has been fundamental in creating and supporting this artistic journey. She has always helped and supported me when things got difficult: having a colleague by my side has been a blessing for me.

Today, I would like to say thank you for the privilege of living my life in this way, receiving the gift of music which allows us to live life even more intensely and profoundly.

Un ballo in maschera at La Scala

Mar 28 2022

Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera: from 4th to 22nd May at last I’ll be singing one of my signature roles at La Scala too: Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera.

I made my debut in this role in 2011 at the Parma Verdi Festival. After that, I performed it again in Parma, then at Teatro La Fenice, at the Rome Opera and Accademia di Santa Cecilia, at the Arena in Verona, in Seoul and at the Teatro del Maggio. Just like all the other Verdi characters that I interpret and love, I owe a lot to Riccardo. As a man, he is convinced that those in power, with the ability to decide for others, must do so to the advantage of those who are weaker, and not for personal interest. He is a character who could teach a lot to those in power today. Despite “betraying” the trust of his dearest friend, he remains loyal. So much so that, filled with remorse, he relinquishes his love in favour of his friendship with Renato and in the name of the righteousness that he pursues until his death.

It is an honour to interpret this role at La Scala at last, under conductor Maestro Riccardo Chailly, with stage direction by Marco Arturo Marelli and a magnificent cast featuring Sondra Radvanovsky as Amelia and Luca Salsi as Renato (with Ludovic Tézier taking the role on 19th and 22nd May). This will be my twentieth role at La Scala, a privilege of which I am immensely proud.

Photo © Roberto Ricca / Teatro Regio di Parma from the 2011 production conducted by Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti

Dvd available here

Aida in Dresden

Feb 17 2022

Dear friends,

from 5 to 20 March, I’ll be singing as Radamès at the Semperoper Dresden. I’m delighted to be singing for the first time under conductor Maestro Christian Thielemann, who will be on the podium of the legendary Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. I have listened to this orchestra on so many recordings from the symphonic and operatic repertoires, and it has filled me with so many emotions! I am also extremely happy that our Aida will be broadcast for everyone on 13 March by Arte TV.

I also have a more intimate, personal reason for loving my role as Radamès: in October 2020 I was singing in a captivating concert performance of Aida conducted by Maestro Riccardo Chailly at Teatro alla Scala and, from the penultimate performance, was forced to drop out because I tested positive for Covid-19. It was one of the worst times to get infected, when vaccines were not yet available. I was lucky to recover fully, but my thoughts often go to those who didn’t make it, to the world which has been changed by Covid and to art and music which have paid such a high price.

Like everyone else, I hope that the time has come at last for us to move out of the pandemic and to go back to enjoying our everyday lives, and particularly music, in freedom and harmony.

Prima Verdi

Nov 17 2021

Dear friends, I wish to share a very special emotion with you all. On 19th November Prima Verdi is being released: my first album dedicated to a single composer. I recorded it in June 2020, we were all still shaken by the first three months of lockdown yet the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino had the strength to believe in the project and engage its wonderful orchestra conducted by Maestro Marco Armiliato for the occasion.

This album is a journey through “my” Verdi, from the operas of the so-called years of hard labour to his last works. Above all it is a pathway through the vocality of Verdi, to sustain and fulfil the idea that the composer himself had of “his tenor”. Of course, I think that Verdi knew exactly what to ask of a tenor: certainly not stentorian expression, but quite the opposite: interpretation and in-depth exploration of the character through music. I have always paused to admire the meticulousness and skill in the dynamic markings that Verdi provides for the performer, the continual search for a deep relationship between words, rhythm and music. Each one of Verdi’s indications is indispensable for a proper understanding of the character; far from being a cage that limits the performer, it is a detailed canovaccio that opens up a world of music, dramaturgy and theatre, an immense range of opportunities for the musician who is prepared to make the composer’s indications his own. This is my homage to the great father of Melodrama, there where words become music. But it is also a stage on my journey of attachment to Verdi as a man, father of the Nation and deep down inside, a revolutionary.

King Carlo VII in Rome

Nov 03 2021

From 17th to 26th October 2021 I sang as the King, Carlo VII, in a new production of Giovanna d’Arco at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, conducted by Daniele Gatti, with stage direction and choreography by Davide Livermore, set design by Giò Forma and costumes by Anna Verde. Amazingly, this opera by Verdi had not been performed here at Rome’s Teatro Costanzi for almost fifty years.

I have sung many times as Carlo VII and the critics consider it to be one of my signature roles. I have to say that from a vocal and dramaturgical point of view, Carlo VII is a role with some fascinating features that verge on and at times reach the marvellous heights of the best Verdi. In Rome, at this theatre to which I owe part of my identity as a Verdi tenor, I performed with exceptional colleagues. Giovanna was sung by Nino Machaidze, who debuted with success in the title role. Another detail worth of attention is that conductor Maestro Daniele Gatti made his debut as an opera conductor in 1983 with this same opera: Giovanna d’Arco. In a word, it is quite a fascinating opera which wins over the theatre audience with a wealth of beautiful music and additional meaning. The performance on Sunday 17th October will soon we broadcast by Rai Radio3 and I’m looking forward to listening to it with you.

Photo: Fabrizio Sansoni