Name: Their Master’s Voice
Start: 2024-04-07
End: 2024-04-07
Location: Salle Garnier

Organization

Festival Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo

Conductor

Gianluca Capuano

Set designer

Renate Martin

Costume designer

Andreas Donhauser

Stage director

Michael Sturminger

Singer

Mezzo-soprano

Cecilia Bartoli

Opéra de Monte-Carlo

Orchestra

Les Musiciens du Prince - Monaco

Countertenor

Philipp Mathmann

Spoken

John Malkovich

Emily Cox

Others

Choeur de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo

Their Master’s Voice

Monaco

Salle Garnier

Public

Private

Concert

Approved

From the heroes of Metastasio’s operas per-formed by castrati to the abundant travesty roles of the Romantic repertoire, we can affirm that in opera gender is a rather fluid concept. Throughout the 18th century no one was surprised to see kings and gods interpreted by artists with ethereal voices, nor, later, to see the ardent Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro disclosing the secrets of his heart in the lustrous colours of a mezzo-soprano’s timbre. 

The concept of Their Master’s Voice was inspired by the mutual desire of two artists who hold each other in high esteem, namely John Malkovich, the memorable Valmont in Stephen Frears’ Liaisons Dangereuses, and Cecilia Bartoli, an artist in a constant search for reinvention. During the performance we shall see the composer and teacher of the finest voices of his time confront his most prestigious pupils: Farinelli and Caffarelli. Both theatrical narration and musical celebration, and the grand arias for castrati of the Baroque era, this “gender clash” will tell us more about the composer-master and his inestimable con-tribution to the glory of these singers and their angelic voices. The Austrian director Michael Sturminger will create this specially designed production which, after Monte Carlo, will be presented during the Barocchissimo week at the Wiener Staatsoper.

English

Des héros de Métastase incarnés par les castrats jusqu’aux innombrables rôles travestis dont le répertoire romantique abonde, on peut dire qu’à l’opéra, le genre est une notion fluide. En plein XVIIIe siècle, personne ne s’étonnait que rois et dieux soient incarnés par des voix aux sonorités évanescentes, ni que, plus tard, le fougueux Chérubin des Noces de Figaro s’exprime grâce aux couleurs chatoyantes du timbre d’un mezzo-soprano.

Their Master’s Voice est un concept né d’un désir partagé : celui de deux artistes qui s’estiment, John Malkovich, l’inoubliable Valmont  des Liaisons dangereuses de Stephen Frears, et Cecilia Bartoli, artiste toujours en quête de réinvention. Lors de ce spectacle, on verra le compositeur et maître de musique des plus grandes voix de son temps, Nicola Porpora, se confronter à ses prestigieux élèves, Farinelli et Caffarelli. À la fois narration théâtrale et fête musicale, avec les grands airs pour castrat de l’ère baroque, ce « duel de genres » nous en dira plus sur le compositeur-pédagogue et son apport primordial à la gloire de ces chanteurs aux voix d’anges. Le réalisateur et metteur en scène autrichien Michael Sturminger aura la charge de concevoir ce spectacle sur mesure, présenté après Monte-Carlo lors de la tournée Barocchissimo à la Staatsoper de Vienne.

français

Their Master’s Voice by Various, Sun 07 Apr 2024, From (2024/2024), Directed by Michael Sturminger,, Conductor Gianluca Capuano, Salle Garnier, Monaco, Monaco

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Co-Producer

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues