The programme includes renowned stars such as Javier Camarena, Roberto de Candia, John Osborn and Jessica Pratt, alongside other established younger performers and students of Bottega Donizetti.
On the podium, in addition to musical director Riccardo Frizza, we will see two emerging conductors such as Iván López Reynoso and Alberto Zanardi.
The operas will be directed by Stephen Langridge, Amélie Niermeyer, Bruno Ravella and Mattia Agatiello.
«This is the tenth edition of Donizetti Opera,» emphasises artistic director Francesco Micheli, «the tenth year we have worked on the construction of a monument to this artist whose greatness is still to be explored, a monument the first piece of which we are proud, and grateful, to have been able to build. On the one hand, we have sought to trace the origins of the man and the artist, presenting his works – both the best- and lesser-known ones – in philologically unexceptionable editions that are consistent with the execution practice of the time. On the other hand, we wanted to combine Donizetti’s revolutionary theatricality with the present time, since we believe that no theatre is as contemporary, vital and necessary as Donizetti’s. we always have the same purpose, today as ten years ago: to popularise Donizetti’s operas, and to spread the beneficial contagion of our love for him in Bergamo, in Italy and throughout the world».
In the words of the UNESCO Intangible Heritage committee, explaining the reason for its addition to the list: «Italian opera singing is a physiologically controlled way of singing that enhances the carrying power of the voice in acoustic spaces such as amphitheatres and churches. Performed by people of all genders, it is associated with specific facial expressions and body gestures and involves a combination of music, drama, acting and staging. Transmitted orally between a maestro and pupil, the practice promotes collective cohesion and sociocultural memory. It is a means of free expression and intergenerational dialogue and its cultural value is recognised at national and international levels».
The American Friends of the Donizetti Opera Festival keeps committed with promoting such intangible heritage in the United States.
The commission of the 42nd edition of the "Franco Abbiati" Music Critics Award has awarded the opening title of Donizetti Opera 2022, La favorite, directed by Riccardo Frizza and staged by Valentina Carrasco, the Abbiati Award for "Best Show of the Year."
This is the first time that a production from the Bergamo festival, under the direction of Francesco Micheli, has received the highest recognition among the categories considered annually for this prestigious award. In 2020, L'ange de Nisida received the "Special Award," while in 2016, soprano Carmela Remigio and conductor Corrado Rovaris were recognized for their performance in Anna Bolena, the first title staged by the festival.
«I am very happy for this recognition - says Riccardo Frizza, the festival's musical director and conductor for La favorite. It acknowledges the dedication of everyone who makes the festival possible and the choices made over the years with Francesco Micheli. Our commitment is to present Donizetti and his operas with the execution quality and dramatic dignity they deserve. In La favorite, no one has ever taken a step back, from Valentina Carrasco and her entire team to the cast, especially Annalisa Stroppa and Javier Camarena, from the technicians to the orchestra, the chorus, and the wonderful 'favorites' of all ages. We have faced difficult moments in recent years, but the festival has never stopped, and this award, in the year of Bergamo Brescia Capital of Culture, makes me even prouder to be a resident of Brescia in Donizetti's city».
Our major donors through their philanthropic contributions will be recognised throughout the year and highlighted during the Festival alongside the prestigious public and private supporters in Italy that have been supporting Donizetti Opera Festival. Friends enjoy many benefits during the Festival, including rare privileges at opera and musical performances, exhibitions and symposia, as well as invitations to private social gatherings and exclusive behind-the-scenes visits. Friends are recognised before and after the Festival through on-going communications and social gatherings in many cities around the world, with a strong focus in the U.S.A.
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Among our best composers, the one who needs more than others a festival is also the most humanly sympathetic and, at the same time, artistically undervalued: Gaetano Donizetti.
La Stampa
So should a festival be organized, with rare titles, original and not recycled essays on the theatre programmes, with young and famous singers together. For Donizetti, in Bergamo, you are spoilt for choice.
Il Sole 24 Ore
Along the streets of Bergamo Alta Donizetti's music is diffused, in the shopwindows t-shirts and pictures of the Festival Donizetti shine red, even on the square, the Christmas tree is glittering with Donizetti's icons
Corriere della Sera
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