Antonio poli tenor biography of michael
•
Paradise in music: a glorious Verdi Requiem under Michele Mariotti in Dublin
The thundering Dies irae of Verdi's Requiem has been used incongruously in Dublin as the soundtrack for a video touting a haunted-house bus tour of the city. This misappropriation can perhaps be forgiven following the staging of not one but two performances of Verdi's transformative work in Dublin within two months. I missed the first occasion in April, but the performance by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir under the baton of Italian maestro Michele Mariotti at the National Concert ingång was a splendid affair. Not only were the orchestra and chorus in peak form, but it was apparent that someone had gone to a lot of trouble to assemble a sterling foursome of soloists. American soprano Angela Meade was joined by mezzo-soprano Enkelejda Shkosa, a regular on European opera stages. Italian tenor Antonio Poli and Russian bass Evgeny Stavinsky made up the male r
•
“Dear elephant, you are in the room to tell us that Charles Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette is not a very good opera. I know, I know ….. Savonlinna Opera Festival has told us it is an underperformed gem. But you know different.
You tell us that the libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré turns the tight, page turning, original Shakespeare skrivelse into a circumlocutious bore. And that dear old French établissement Charles Gounod – Legion d’Honneur, et tout ça – writes mostly cheery through-music unsuited to a tragedy. And, that a couple of memorable arias do not an opera make.
Yes, elephant, I too am wondering why the powers that be who decide the Savonlinna repertoire picked this unremarkable work for their remarkable festival.”
Gounod wrote Faust – terrific, Romeo et Juliette – unremarkable, Mirielle – loopy, Le Medicin malgré lui – a brilliant comedy that should be revived more often, and eight other operas I have not seen. Not even elephants know whether or not they
•