Juan Diego Flórez charms as Roméo in Florence

By Elena Luporini, 05 May 2022

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“Flórez’s masterfully chiselled phrasing, truly a lesson of character insight”

Reviewed at Auditorium del Maggio: Sala Zubin Mehta, Florence on 3 May 2022

Gounod, Roméo et Juliette

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Henrik Nánási, Conductor

Frederic Wake-Walker, Director

Polina Liefers, Set Designer

Julia Katharina Berndt, Costume Designer

Peter Mumford, Lighting Designer

Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Juan Diego Flórez, Roméo

Valentina Naforniţă, Juliette

Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Stéphano

Evgeny Stavinsky, Frère Laurent

Francesco Milanese, Count Capulet

Ruzil Gatin, Tybalt

Marina de Liso, Gertrude, Juliette's nurse

Adriano Gramigni, Duke of Verona

André Courville, Pâris

Lulama Taifasi, Benvolio, nephew of Montaigu

Davide Piva, Grégorio

Anna Olkhovaya, Choreography

Jessica Pratt triumphs in a new Lucrezia Borgia in Florence

Laura Servidei, 9th November

Despite the Maggio Musicale stage being dominated by clerical garb and daring papal parallels, the true revelation is Jessica Pratt's breathtaking role debut as Lucrezia.

****1

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino's Don Giovanni falls at the final hurdle

Laura Servidei, 6th May

The Maggio postpones Pountney’s expected new production of Don Giovanni, presenting Ferrara’s production from Spoleto instead, with a good cast in the hands of Zubin Mehta.

**111

Florence's finest: Teatro del Maggio's compelling new Don Carlo

Roy Westbrook, 27th December

Five highly dissatisfied lead characters find only disastrous or ambiguous outcomes. Yet there are few greater operas than this.

*****

A Florentine Comedy: a lively Barbiere di Siviglia in Tuscany

David Larkin, 14th September

A lively and amusing Barbiere at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, with Daniele Gatti expertly marshalling the talents of Ruzil Gatin, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Nicola Alaimo and Fabio Capitanucci in Damiano Michieletto's colourfully minimalist staging.

****1

Linda di Chamounix a bittersweet tale at the Maggio Musicale

Laura Servidei, 3rd October

Jessica Pratt shines in this Donizetti coloratura role, with the support of Teresa Iervolino as a luxury Pierotto, and a solid cast of Italian singers.

***11

Science goes screwball in Maggio Musicale's new Così fan tutte

Elena Luporini, 30th August

Sven-Eric Bechtolf's staging holds a balance between philosophy and humour, but Adam Fischer's vivacious conducting is the real star of the evening.

****1

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Elena Luporini

After completing their Master's degree in Musicology in Rome, Elena has now moved to Berlin to dedicate themselves to more things musical. With a publication on Béla Bartók and a seminar at the Humboldt-Universität underway, their interests mostly veer toward 20th-century opera, with some forays into queer musicology. Some of their latest undertakings also include oboe lessons, stencil-making and tea-making.