Bologna, 12 January 2006

Andrea Chenier, an opera by Umberto Giordano, debuts Saturday (at 20.30) at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna under the direction of Giancarlo del Monaco.

The principal singers are tenor José Cura, soprano Maria Guleghina, and baritone Carl Guelfi, three friends, as they were introduced in the press conference by Vincenzo de Vivo, artistic director of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna.

‘In coming to the theater,’ said Cura, ‘my thoughts went to the last two legendary interpreters of Andrea, Franco Corelli and Mario del Monaco, and I have felt the heavy responsibility of having to make one’s debut in this role in the country of such great interpreters, and to find oneself in the hands of the son of one of them.  I added it all up and said, “I will find the first airplane and return to Argentina!” since the responsibility is so large and the role so loved by the Italians.  But then I find myself with colleagues with whom I have grown and safely in the hands of conductor Carlo Rizzi, I thought this was an ideal situation, and if health allows us to sing well, it will be very beautiful.’

‘Andrea Chenier is a work soaked in great lyricism, but with a very difficult, dramatic text, one that rises to proclaim revolution, and it is necessary to pay attention to this aspect, to lend as much credibility to the text as to the beautiful melodies. Andrea sings beautiful things but it remains a very difficult role.’

Asked about the [Italian government’s] economic cuts to the arts in the last months that may lead to the closing of some theaters across the country, Cura, a man who speaks honestly (‘I have a big mouth!’), said, ‘Nothing is more important than to support an art that was born in Italy and carried to the world by Italians.’