Bel Canto: Georgian Baritone Mesmerizes City of Verona
The annual Arena di Verona Opera Festival was opened on June 23 by Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Nabucco’ with Georgian Baritone George Gagnidze in the title role. It merited a storm of applause and great appraisal in the Italian press. Nabucco was conducted by the outstanding maestro Daniel Oren (under whose baton Aida was performed in the Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Theater just a few months ago). GEORGIA TODAY spoke to George Gagnidze.
This performance played a decisive part in Giuseppe Verdi’s artistic career. Is it of similar importance in your musical life?
Nabucco brought wide acclaim to Verdi. For me personally, of course, it was paramount to open the Festival of Arena di Verona in the skin of Nabucco himself. Articles following the performance began with the words: “Georgian Baritone captivates audience with his most beautiful and vigorous voice”, “The Great Baritone George Gagnidze as Nabucco in Verona”, etc. Even after the performance, Maestro Daniel Oren said “George Gagnidze is today’s best baritone”.
What can you say about this particular staging and your partners?
I have sung Nabucco in different theaters. I sang it first in Weimar, Germany, where the famous Weimar Staatsckapelle played. I also performed the same role in France, at the Orange Festival. In 2022, I will play it at Metropolitan Opera, New York. This recent performance was staged by Arnaud Bernard with the famous maestro Daniel Oren conducting and my singing partners Walter Fraccaro and Tatiana Melnychenko.
Arena di Verona is where Nabucco is most frequently staged. Why?
Nabucco is one of those sparkling works of Verdi which is distinguished not only by arias, duet, and ensembles, but also by its magnificent chorus. One of the most famous chorus is "Va, pensiero", also known in English as the "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves”. Some scholars initially thought that the chorus was intended to be an anthem for Italian patriots seeking to unify their country and free it from foreign control in the years up to 1861. 18,000 spectators at Arena di Verona were mesmerized by Nabucco which opened the season on June 23.
This time, Nabucco was interpreted differently: there is no Babylon and there are no Jews. Instead of these biblical narrations, there are Austrians and Italians, conquered by the former
It was a very interesting version, because probably all nations have experienced some wars and frustrations in their times. Bernard used the film by Luchino Visconti ‘Senso’, namely, five days of Milan, and made his own interpretation.
In the City of Love, Verona, you sang a serenade to your wife. Was it an unprecedented case?
The day after the performance, I was in high spirits. My spouse and I decided to have a walk and see Romeo and Juliet’s famous balcony. When she went up and looked from the balcony, I was standing below the balcony, holding a rose in my hands and singing her a serenade. When I finished the song, I threw her the flower. People were astonished, gifting me with a storm of applause. I often sing to my wife. All of my performances are dedicated to her.
Maka Lomadze