On Friday, 8th December mezzosoprano Marina Comparato will be making her debut in the title role of La Vestale, in a semi-staged performance directed by Stefanos Koroneos and conducted by Philippe Forget, at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall. This production (co-produced with the New Teatro Grattacielo) holds special significance as it pays tribute to the incomparable Maria Callas, commemorating the 100th anniversary of her birth. It’s no coincidence that the version chosen to present to the Greek audience is the same Italian version Maria Callas sang at the Teatro alla Scala in 1954.
Marina Comparato is both thrilled and proud to debut this part, promising to give her all to honour La Divina. “It’s the first time that I take on an opera by Spontini – says Marina – but it’s something I’ve always dreamt of doing and I’m delighted it’s finally happening with La Vestale here at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall. The score is permeated by a powerful dramatic tension, especially in the majestic recitativos sung by the Vestal Virgin. Particularly challenging, and of great tragic depth, is the aria which alternates virtuosic passages with more relaxed, bel canto lines from which one can sense the character’s inner turmoil and restlessness. But above all, it is the relationship between the Vestal Virgin and Giulia that touches me deeply because it foreshadows the famous one between Norma and Adalgisa, both dramaturgically and musically.” |