A Comedy in two acts, music by Gioacchino Rossini on a libretto by Cesare Sterbini
Created at the Teatro Argentino in Rome on the 20 of February 1816
An improbable trio: an enamored Spanish nobleman, an innocent girl, held captive in her tutor&rsquos house, and a barber. A maid and a servant get involved. Intrigues, avidity, plans to elope. A storm. A balcony. A disappearing ladder. Finally, love!
In their season of 2019, Opéra dans le Parc stages one of the most appreciated comic operas of the repertoire: brilliantly put to music by Rossini, Beaumarchais&rsquo comedy is a sparkling exposition of wit and humor. Virtuosity alternates with notes of utter tenderness to express the ultimate emotions inspired by intrigue and passion of Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
The opera
Watched and continuously spied upon by her tutor Don Bartolo, Rosina is kept out of reach of any man. The enamored Count Almaviva has made it his goal not only to approach her but to make her the object of his love. With the assistance of Figaro, the audacious and intrepid barber, he plots plans of elopement to free the girl from her entrapment.
The cast:
Figaro - Vincent Ranallo
Rosina - Claudine Ledoux
Almaviva - Thomas Mcleay
Bartolo - Dominic Veilleux
Basilio - David Turcotte
Berta - Nadia Neiazy
Ambrosio: François Racine
Staging - François Racine
Musical direction and piano: Pascale Verstrepen
Adaptation and texts by Nadia Neiazy & François Racine
Sung in its original language, Italian,
Texts in English and French
Length: 1h30
Showtimes:
Wednesday, August 7th, 2019 at 7 pm at Jean-Brillant Park, CDN
Wednesday, August 14th, 2019 at 7 pm at Trenholme Park, NDG
Wednesday, August 21st, 2019 at 7 pm at Girouard Park, NDG
Baritone Vincent Ranallo's singing career centers mainly around the concert stage and creation of contemporary works, as numerous contemporary composers, from Québec as well as from Europe, have been inspired by his voice.
Hailed for the beauty and depth of expression of his voice, as well as for the infectious sentiment inherent to his interpretation, he has been invited to perform with a steadily growing number of ensembles, at festivals in North-America and in Europe. In 2017, he was invited to create the barytone solo in Éric Champagne's Te Deum with the New England Chamber Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in New York.
His artistic approach is inspired by his experience in theater and dance, as he is trained in classical ballet by the Grand Ballets Canadiens and has had occasions to work with choreographers like Marie-José Cartier and Estelle Clareton.
His latest collaborations include a first recording of the sacred works by Québec composer Auguste Descarries, released by Espace XXI, as well as a monograph of Martin Lachance's music.
Belgium native Pascale Verstrepen started studying the piano with Ho Thi The Van in 1998. After obtaining her BA at the University of Québec in 2001, in the class of Pierre Jasmin, she continues in the master's program at Université de Montréal under Paul Stewart. She obtained for two consecutive years (2000/2001) the stipend for excellency Nicole-Junca.
Pascale started to play in the orchestra led by her father Gène Capri, les Cordes de Velours, as early as age 14, in her second year of playing the piano. Today she still works mainly as a collaborative pianist for singers and instrumentists.
Additionally to her work as an accompanist at the Rudolf Steiner School of Montreal, where she teaches music and choir singing in the sector for continuous studies, Pascale also conducts the music program at the Coeur-Immaculé-de-Marie parish and directs two choirs, Polumnia and Equi-Vox Montreal.
Canadian director François Racine has led a career as opera director and teacher for many years.
Named «Artist of the year 2008-09» by Seatle Opera, Mr. Racine received accolades for Cosi fan tutte with Pacific Opera Victoria and for his innovative interpretation of Dido and Aeneas in Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland in 2010.
While a member of the Canadian Opera Company ùensemble, Mr. Racine assisted Robert Lepage on his productions of Erwartung and Bluebeard’s Castle, and later supervised and restaged performances at Edinburg, Hong Kong and Melbourne Festivals and later in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Cincinnati, Montreal, Quebec and Seattle.
François Racine has directed opera productions for Opéra de Montréal, the Festival Opéra de Québec, Seattle Opera, The Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Opéra de Québec, La Jeune compagnie Opéra in La Chaux de Fonds, Swirzerland, Pacific Opera Victoria, Cincinnati Opera, the Edmonton Opera Association and the Vancouver Opera Festival.
As Opera Acting guest professor at l’Université de Montréal, François directed many operas and is now teaching the specialized acting class for singers.
Canadian tenor Thomas Macleay has been hailed as a revelation for his beautiful sound, gorgeous phrasing and musical instinct.
His notable performances include Cavalleria Rusticana (Turiddu) and Tosca (Cavaradossi) with the Italian Week festival, Faust with Festival de Musique de Saint Eustache and Rodolfo in la Bohème with Sinfonia. He sang Pylade in Iphigénie en Tauride and the title role in Acis and Galatea with Toronto's Opera Atelier. His many roles with l'Opéra de Montréal include Alfred in J. Strauss' La Chauve Souris.
Thomas was Charlie in Pacific Opera Victoria's world premier of Mary's Wedding (CBC broadcast), and he created the role of Algernon in Earnest with Toronto Operetta Theatre. Next, he will play Abel in L'hypothèse Caïn by Michel Gonneville.
Thomas has also performed with the Vancouver Opera, l'Opéra de Marseille, l'Opéra de Québec, Edmonton Opera, Opera Bhutan, Opera El Paso, the Victoria Symphony, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, l'Orchestre Sinfonia, and Alberta Ballet.
Thomas Macleay studied at l'Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal, the CNIPAL in Marseille, McGill University, the University of Alberta, the Banff Centre, and the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute. In 2014 Thomas was invited to Bishops University to perform and teach as an Artist in Residence
With a voice capable to reflect warmth and agility and her versatility, stage presence and musical sensibility, Claudine Ledoux has been seducing critiques and public alike.
Her repertoire evolves from baroque to comtemporary music, by way of the French Mélodie. She has been an invited soloist with I Musici, l'Opéra de Montréal, L'Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, la Chapelle de Montréal under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the NEM, Les Idées Heureuses, Le Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal, la Nouvele Sinfonie (Hervé Niquet), Chants Libres, Seminario Musicale (Gérard Lesne) l'Orchestre Symphonique de Longueil, to name just a few.
June 2017 saw her debut at Carnegie Hall in New York, being a soloist in the creation of Montréal composer Éric Champagne.
She has sung in the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, France and Italy, as well as participating in numerous creations of Québec composers, some of which have been awarded the Opus distinction.
A graduate from the Conservatoire de Musique de Québec, baritone Dominc Veilleux is an active member of Québec's music scene.
He interpreted the roles of the servant (Macbeth), D'Estillac ( La Veuve Joyeuse), the first priest (Die Zauberflöte), Marco (Gianni Schicchi) and of Fiorello (Le barbier de Séville) at l'Opéra de Québec.
Other stage engagements included the title roles of Don Giovanni and Les Noces de Figaro, Leporello (Don Giovanni), Guigliermo and Don Alfonso (Cosi fan tutte), Bottom (A Midsummer Night's Dream) and Papageno ( Die Zauberflöte).
On the concert stage, he has been soloist in Rossini's La Petite Messe Solennelle, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Richter's Klempterer te Deum as well as in the Mozart, Duruflé and Fauré Requiems.
Future engagements inlude a participation in the creation of the opera l'Orangeraie by Zad Moultaka and Larry Tremblay, produced by Chants Libres.
Baritone David Turcotte is appreciated for his elegant voice and stylistic rigor. Versatile, he is comfortable singing both opera and chamber music, He specializes in baroque music and romantic chamber music.
On stage he was seen as Frank (La chauve-souris by Strauss), le chat and l'arbre (L'Enfant et les Sortilèges by Ravel), Presto (Les Mamelles de Tirésias by Poulenc), Masetto and Leporello (Don Giovanni by Mozart), Elzéar Goulet (Louis Riel by Harry Somers), Giulio Cesare (Giulio Cesare in Egitto by Händel), Bartolo (Le nozze di Figaro by Mozart), Demetrius (A Midsummer Night's Dreamby Britten) and Guglielmo (Così fan tutte by Mozart).
David holds a Masters degree from Université Laval, under bass-baritone Michel Ducharme, and is currently completing a Doctoral degree at Université de Montréal in the joint class of Rosemarie Landry and Catherine Sévigny.