The stars of this year’s Summer Dream Concert in Monaco are French-Italian tenor Roberto Alagna and Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak.
The concert, being held in Courtyard of Honour of the Prince’s Palace in Monaco, will see the two stars perform some of the most beautiful works in the operatic repertoire. Mr. Alagna and Miss Kurzak will be accompanied by the Soloists of Monte-Carlo, conducted by Giorgio Croci, In a concert presented by composer and pianist, Jean-François Zygel.
Organised by pianist Michael Desjardins, the annual Summer Dream concerts were initiated three years ago by HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, following the tradition of the Grimaldi Princes whose historic patronage of the arts, particularly of music, is well known. This concert will be held in aid of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which works to protect the environment, and to promote sustainable development the world over.
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In 1998, at the age of 24, the then unknown young tenor, Roberto Alagna, was personally invited to enter the Pavarotti Competition in Philadelphia by the maestro himself – a competition which he won, and which launched his highly successful career. Soon Mr. Alagna was asked to sing the role of Alfredo in La Traviata at Glyndebourne, then in Monte-Carlo, and at La Scala with Riccardo Muti. He followed these successes with performances of the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto (again with Maestro Mutti) and Rodolfo in La Bohème. Within the space of just a few years, Roberto Alagna was performing on the leading stages of the world, from New York to Vienna and London, achieving international acclaim. More recently, he has combined his operatic accomplishments with a foray into the world of jazz, musicals and folk songs, successfully merging both the popular and operatic styles into his repertoire, a feat unique in the lyric world.
Aleksandra Kurzak, who made her debut as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro at the age of 21, has drawn some impressive reviews for her performances over the past few years. Her portrayal of Gilda in San Francisco Opera’s Rigoletto was hailed as “nothing short of remarkable” by the San Francisco Chronicle, “a triumphant performance” by operawarhorses.com, and her voice described by the San Jose Mercury News as one of “unusual beauty”.
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Of her performance as Adina in L’elisir d’amore at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, classicalsource.com wrote that “her singing was the highlight of the evening”, and The Independent noted her “exquisite” phrasing, referring to her as “the Adina of one’s dreams”. According to the FT, she was “outstanding as a delightfully flighty Adina”.
The Summer Dream Concert with Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak takes place on 9th August 2014 at 10 pm in the Courtyard of Honour of the Prince’s Palace.
Tickets cost from €30 and may be obtained at the ticket office in the Atrium of the Monte-Carlo Casino or by calling + 377 98 06 28 28. Ticket sales service open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 am to 5.30 pm.
Gilly Lloyd is a journalist, copy and creative writer, and editor of Preview, as well as a regular contributor to the Arts section of Examiner.com
Lead image courtesy Roberto Alagna official website
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