-The Italian conductor takes the helm of the historical production by the film director Mauro Bolognini

April 2019

In May Riccardo Frizza returns to one of the theatres where he has conducted the most, La Fenice in Venice, this time for the Giuseppe Verdi masterpiece, Aida. This popular and spectacular opera will revisit the legendary production by the film and theatre director Mauro Bolognini, and directed this time by Bepi Morassi. Frizza is one of the most renowned conductors of his generation, and a specialist in Italian opera repertoire.   Throughout his career he has been particularly linked to the Venetian opera house, where he has conducted Il Trovatore, La Traviata (in two seasons), Tosca, Attila, Lucia di Lammermoor, L’elisir d’amore, Norma and Semiramide, (which he conducted last October) among other productions.

Some highlights among Frizza´s upcoming engagements include the opening of the season at the Opéra National in Paris – which is celebrating its 350th anniversary – with I Puritani, the opening of the ABAO Bilbao Opera season with Lucia di Lammermoor, Lucrezia Borgia in its acclaimed new version at the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo – which Frizza is the musical director of – and the show Three Queens at the Chicago Lyric Opera, based on Donizetti´s Tudor trilogy and including the final scenes from Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereux with Sondra Radvanovsky taking centre stage.

– The Italian maestro revisits Verdi´s last opera with a stellar cast

 February 2019

The Italian maestro Riccardo Frizza, one of the most renowned conductors among his generation and a world expert on Italian repertoire, will return to Dallas Opera (USA) to conduct the last opera Giuseppe Verdi composed, Falstaff, which was inspired by various Shakespearean characters.

Frizza is revisiting the Verdi opera, which he conducted for the first time 10 years ago in Seattle (USA) with performances on the 26th and 28th April and the 1st and 4th May. 

In February Riccardo Frizza conducted Donizetti´s Anna Bolena at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, to huge acclaim from public and critics alike.  Donizetti is another key composer for the conductor´s career, as he is currently musical director of the Bergamo Donizetti Festival.  The conductor also has an extensive repertoire of Verdi operas, including Rigoletto, Aida, Un ballo in maschera, Nabucco, Luisa Miller, Simon Boccanegra, Il Trovatore, Otello, I masnadieri, Oberto, Attila, Giovanna d’Arco, La Traviata and I lombardi.

This production of Falstaff is directed by Lee Blakely, and Riccardo Frizza will have a stellar cast at his command.  The star singers include Mark Delavan, Angela Meade, Stephanie Blythe, Mocja Erdmann, Quinn Kelsey, Robert Brubaker and Airam Hernández.

Later, among other engagements, Frizza will conduct Aida in Venice, will open the Paris Opéra-Bastille 2019-2020 season with I Puritani, will conduct a concert comprising scenes from Donizetti operas in Chicago and will return to Dallas Opera with Il Barbiere di Siviglia.