Viva Verdi Gala Concert at the CCP celebrates Giuseppe Verdi's 200th birthday anniversary

December 10, 2013, 7:30 PM

Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)

CCP Complex

Pasay, Metro Manila

Featuring:

Gian Luca Pasolini, tenor

Alvaro Lozano, baritone

Rachelle Gerodias, soprano

Margarita Giannelli, soprano

Thea Perez, soprano

Nenen Espina, soprano

Ronan Ferrer, tenor

Andrew Fernando, baritone

Manila Symphony Orchestra

Ruggero Barbieri, conductor

The Embassy of the Republic of Italy, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Philippine Italian Association, and Rustan’s, present Viva Verdi 1813-2013 Bicentennial Concert, an event in honor of the 200^th  birth anniversary of the great Romantic opera composer Giuseppe Verdi to be held on December 10, 2013, 7:30 PM at the CCP’s Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).

The concert, directed by Floy Quintos will feature selected opera scenes from La Forza del Destino, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Nabucco, La Traviata, and Aida. A couple of Italian singers, tenor Gian Luca Pasolini and baritone Alvaro Lozano leads the lineup in this concert. Joining them are leading Filipino singers namely sopranos Rachelle Gerodias, Margarita Giannelli, Thea Perez, and Nenen Espina, tenor Ronan Ferrer, and baritone Andrew Fernando. Also included in the cast are Coro Tomasino, Ballet Philippines, narrator Jaime del Mundo, and Maestro Ruggero Barbieri conducting the Manila Symphony Orchestra.

Viva Verdi 1813-2013 Bicentennial Gala Concert will also feature an exhibit, entitled Giuseppe Verdi, the Composer, the Man, the Patriot which opened at the Yuchengco Museum last month. It will be on display at the University of the Philippines’ College of Music this December 9-18, 2013. The exhibit is a traveling multimedia exhibition presenting three different aspects of Giuseppe Verdi.

Giuseppe Verdi is considered as one of the greatest opera composers of the Romantic era, alongside Giacomo Puccini, Gaetano Donizetti, Gioacchino Rossini, and Georges Bizet. It was a Golden Age for opera, where elaborate costumes and set designs ably complimented the dramatic singing and acting in a grandiose setting of elegant operatic venues of Europe. The themes represent human frailties, emotions, and experiences in everyday life, such as love, anger, treachery, and tragedy – which ironically are still very much persistent in today’s society. In this way, opera serves as a mirror of ourselves but presented in dramatic and artistic fashion.

An added value of Viva Verdi 1813-2013 and of the 13^th Edition of the Week of the Italian Language is the educational component, the involvement of students of music and Italian, who will be offered free transportation and entrance to the Theater on December 10^th, and the Master Class on Italian Opera and Giuseppe Verdi conducted by Italian tenor Gian Luca Pasolini and Italian baritone Alvaro Lozano, which will be held at the College of Music, on December 11^th.

Viva Verdi 1813-2013 promises to be the country’s culminating climax to honor the great Italian opera composer and Italian culture, where his informative exhibits and operatic excerpts will aptly demonstrate his genius and legacy.

This event is sponsored by Rustan’s, Elburg Shipmanagement Philippines Inc., Italian Maritime Academy Phils Inc., Crewtech Shipmanagement Phils Inc., PIASI, FILA, The Peninsula Manila, HSBC, Trevi Foundations Philippines, and Furnitalia.

Ticket prices:

P1500 Orchestra Center

P1000 Orchestra Side

P800 Balcony I

-20% senior citizen discount

For inquiries:

CCP Box Office 832-3704

Ms Lulu Casas 895-2109

culturale.manila@esteri.it

TicketWorld 891-9999