A double programme concert version is the third title of the season Opera Tenerife and will be under the baton of Maestro Pedro Halffter in just one show this December 14 with a group of outstanding soloists. 

 

Ópera de Tenerife presents Der Diktator & Der Kaiser von Atlantis, a double concert version program, which will be performed in a single function on Saturday December 14 at the Symphony Hall of Auditorio de Tenerife. This program brings together two operas composed by Austrian composers of the first half of the 20th century who, under the magnifying glass of sarcasm, address the issue of totalitarian power. When Krenek composed Der Diktator in 1928 fascism was already implanted in Italy and would soon arrive in Germany. Der Kaiser von Atlantis was composed by Viktor Ullmann in 1943 in a concentration camp.

 

Der Diktator [The dictator] is a tragic opera in an act with music and libretto, in German, by the composer himself, premiered at the Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden on May 6, 1928. In this short and fulminating rhythm, composed in a style melodic, the irresistible attraction of populist power is staged, represented by a character that many saw inspired by the person of Mussolini.

 

Der Kaiser von Atlantis [The Emperor of Atlantis] is an opera in one act with music by Austrian composer Viktor Ullmann and German libretto by the poet Peter Kien composed in 1943 during captivity in the Theresienstadt concentration camp (Terezín), in which both were held for their Jewish origins. The work, with echoes of Viennese Expressionism, tells how a tyrant, satirical portrait of Hitler, leads humanity to a cruel massacre by pushing Death itself to strike. Ullmann was deported in 1944 to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp where he was killed in the gas chamber. The first performance of Der Kaiser von Atlantis could take place only in 1975 in Amsterdam.

 

Two main sources of are preserved Der Kaiser von Atlantis: Ullmann’s handwritten score and photocopy of a Kien manuscript script. But, with those sources, which do not coincide with each other, there is no way to find out what were the original wishes of the musician and librettist, who did their jobs in the most peculiar and difficult conditions of the field. The modifications of the music and the text of the opera were reconstructed by Henning Brauel, until it resulted in the Kerry Woodward version, which was the one that premiered at the Bellevue Theater in Amsterdam on December 16, 1975. When the premiere took place In Spain in 2016, Pedro Halffter decided to use his solvent facet as a composer and orchestrator to “round up” the event.

 

Pedro Halffter, who debuts at Opera de Tenerife, will be in charge of the musical direction of the production with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, which will feature the voices of Bruno Taddia (baritone); Melody Louledjian (soprano); César Arrieta (tenor); Carmen Acosta (soprano); Nicolò Donini (bass); David Astorga (tenor); Francisco Crespo (bass) and Laura Verrecchia (mezzosoprano).

 

Maestro Halffter has been the artistic director of the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria, the principal guest conductor of the Nürnberger Symphoniker and the principal conductor of the Bayreuth Festival Youth Orchestra. He has taken the podium of orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Staatskapelle Berlin, Dresdner Philharmonie, RAI, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Rundfunk-Sinfonie orchester or Berlin, Konze Maggiore Berlinle, Konze Maggiore Berlinle Fiorentino and the main Spanish orchestras.

 

The show will take place on Saturday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Symphony Hall of Auditorio de Tenerife. Tickets for this performance of Ópera de Tenerife can be purchased at the usual channels of Auditorio de Tenerife, at the box office from 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday; through www.auditoriodetenerife.com or by phone at 902 317 327.

ABOUT THE SOLOISTS

BRUNO TADDIA, BARITONE

Der Diktator in Der Diktator

Kaiser Overall in Der Kaiser von Atlantis

Born in Pavia, he graduated with honors in Philosophy from the Università di Milano. He also trained in violin and studied singing with Maestro Paolo Montarsolo, specializing with Carlos Chausson.

 

He has recently performed Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini) in Paris, Denver, Geneva, Venice and Florence; Gianni Schicchi (Gianni Schicchi, Puccini) and Dottor Malatesta (Don Pasquale, Donizetti) in Montpellier; Oreste (Iphigenie in Tauride, Gluk); Conte dd’Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart); Punch (Punch and Judy, Birtwistle); Mercury (La Calisto, Cavalli) in Geneva; Parmenione (L’occasione fa il ladro, Rossini) in Parigi (TCE); Graf Danilo Danilowitsch (Die Lustige Witwe, Lehár) in Genoa; Alfonso (Così fan tutte, Mozart) in Florence, Toulouse and Rome; Dandini (La Cenerentola, Rossini) in Palermo; Ramiro (L’heure Espagnole, Ravel) with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; Marchese di Forlimpopoli (Mirandolina, Martinů) and Marcello (La bohème, Puccini) in Venice; Macrobio (La pietra del paragone, Rossini) and Pasquale (Orlando paladino, Haydn) in the Théâtre du Chatelet; Felice Sciosciammocca (Il medico dei pazzi, Battistelli) world premiere at Nancy; Tiresia (Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Steffani) in London and Luxembourg; Maximilian / Captain and Tsar Ivan (Candide, Bernstein) in Rome and Théâtre du Chatelet; Serse (Handel) at the Château Festival in Versailles; Tito Manlio (Vivaldi) in Vienna.

 

Among his many successes we also remember: La Gazzetta in Barcelona; Don Pasquale directed by Muti in Ravenna; It is convenient for you to inconvenience theater in Dresden; L’equivoco stravagante in Berlin; Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni in Düsseldorf; The Turkish in Italy at the Rossini Opera Festival, in Düsseldorf and in Trieste; and Teneke by Fabio Vacchi at the Teatro alla Scala.

 

Presence in Ópera de Tenerife:

2016. Malatesta, Don Pasquale (Donizetti)
2017. Der Diktator, Der Diktator (Krenek)

Kaiser Overall, Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Ullman)

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MELODY LOULEDJIAN, SOPRANO

Charlotte in Der Diktator

Bubikopf in Der Kaiser von Atlantis

Debuts in 2009 as Carmen (Le balcon, Eötvös) at the Grand Theater in Bordeaux, where she is regularly invited. She collaborates with Intercontemporain, Contrechamps, Ensemble Modern, Instant Donné and Klangforum, for contemporary music projects. She has performed on prestigious stages such as the Philharmonie de Paris, Konzert Haus Berlin, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Kölner Philharmonie, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Opéra de Paris, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra Comique, Cité de la Musique, Théâtre du Chatelet, Radio Suisse Romande and numerous international festivals.

 

She has sung in Fantasio, Der Zigeunerbaron, Cavalleria rusticana, Le nozze di Figaro, La bohème, L’italiana in Algeri, Orphée aux Enfers, Alcina, Ariadne auf Naxos, L’enfant et les sortilèges, Der Zwerg, Ciboulette, Das Rheingold, Siegfried, Elektra, Die Fledermaus, La dilettante, Die Gespenstersonate, La vie parisienne, La Pastorale and La cour du roi Pétaud. His concert experience ranges from Carmina Burana to the 9thSymphony Beethoven, from La damoiselle élue to the arias of Gluck. She participated in the NYE Gstaad Festival and in many international recitals.

 

The album Fleur will be released in 2020 in a duet with A.Palloc on themes by Wiener, Milhaud, Satie and Honegger.

 

Among her next commitments Prières boréales in Limoges; Requiem Brahmsin Liege and in Brussels; recitals in Cannes, Lille and the Prague International Spring Music Festival.

 

Presence in Ópera de Tenerife:

2018. Violetta, La traviata (Verdi)
2019. Charlotte, Der Diktator (Krenek)

Bubikopf, Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Ullmann)

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CÉSAR ARRIETA, TENOR

Der Offizier inDer Diktator

Trained at the Simón Bolívar Conservatory of Music in Venezuela and at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid, his education as a singer has been in the hands of prestigious artists such as Tom Krause, Ryland Davies, Teresa Berganza, Helen Donath and Milagros Poblador among others.

 

In his professional life, mostly dedicated to opera, he has had the opportunity to embody, among others, the roles of Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni, Mozart), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte, Mozart) and Ferrando (Così fan tutte, Mozart) . Also in his repertoire are Florville (Il signor Bruschino, Rossini) with the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Portugal; Demetrio (Demetrio e Polibio, Rossini), Radosky (Sigismondo, Rossini) and Marquis Drouet (Il vespro Sicilian, Lindpaintner). These last three operas were recorded live by Naxos Records at the Rossini Festival in Wildbad, Germany.

 

His victory at the Clermont-Ferrand International Singing Contest in 2017 led him to play the role of Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail of Mozart, on a tour of France. Also in 2017, he won the second prize at the Logroño International Singing Contest.

 

He recently debuted the role of Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore de Donizetti thanks to the Opera (e) Studio of Tenerife in a production that will be repeated at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theater in Georgia and the Teatro Comunale di Bologna.

 

Presence in Ópera de Tenerife:

2019. Nemorino, L’elisir d’amore (Donizetti)
2020. Der Offizier, Der Diktator (Krenek)

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CARMEN ACOSTA, SOPRANO

Maria in Der Diktator (Krenek)

Born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and studies clarinet and singing at the Conservatory of Music. She perfects her studies of singing and dramatic art in London and later in Milan. She is licensed in song by the Conservatory of the Liceu de Barcelona.

 

She has sung at Teatro de La Zarzuela in Madrid, Teatro Cervantes de Málaga, Teatro de Alicante, Cuyás Theater in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Guimerá Theater, Opera de Tenerife, Manuel de Falla Auditorium in Granada, Opera de Halle Theater, Städtische Bühnen Münster, Rossini im Wildbad Festival, Summer Festival of St. Lawrence of the Escorial, Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern, the Liederhalle of Stuttgart, Konzertsaal Dortmund, Theater of the Duisburg Opera, Philharmonia of Essen, Tonhalle of Düsseldorf, Konzerthaus of Berlin, Victoria Hall from Geneva, Auditorium of the Chaux de onds in Switzerland, where he has played the great characters Belcanto of the Rossini, such as Corinna (Il viaggio a Reims); Cristina (Eduardo e Cristina) and Fiorilla (Il Turkish in Italy). From Donizetti Lucia (Lucia de Lammermoor); Marie (La fille du régiment) and Adina (L’elisir d’amore). Also, Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel, Humperdinck); Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Mozart); Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte, Mozart); Fiakermilli (Arabella, Strauss), in addition to Zerlina (Don Giovanni, Mozart) and Rosina (La finta semplice, Mozart). Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare, Handel); Berthe (The Prophet, Meyerbeer). Play with fire (Barbieri) under the direction of Miguel Narros; Norina (Don Pasquale, Donizetti); Manon (Manon, Massenet) and Elle (La voix humaine, Poulenc). This has led her to work under the baton of great directors and alongside the most important national and European symphony orchestras.

 

Presence in Ópera de Tenerife:

2019. Maria, Der Diktator (Krenek) Debut

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NICOLO DONINI, BASS

Der Lautsprecher in Der Kaiser von Atlantis

He has been part of the Rossino Academy of Pesaro and debuted at the Rossini Opera Festival as Lord Sidney and Don Prudenzio (Il viaggio a Reims, Rossini). Member of the Rodolfo Celletti Academy of Martina Franca was able to release several roles in the Festival of Valle d’Itria, such as Seneca (L’incoronazione di Poppea, Monteverdi). Also in the Scuola dell’Opera he participated in numerous productions of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and the Regio di Parma Theater, where he debuted in 2016 as Martino (L’occasione fa il ladro, Rossini). In 2017 he has also been a member of Opera (e) Studio in Opera di Tenerife where he debuted as Lorenzo (I Capuleti ei Montecchi, Bellini); Dottor Grenvil (La traviata, Vedi) and as the Barone di Trombonok (Il viaggio a Reims, Rossini). Don Fernando (has recently sungFidelio, Beethoven)at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Dio Marte (Silla, Handel) at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest with Galante Europe under the direction of Fabio Biondi.

 

Presence in Ópera de Tenerife:

2017. Lorenzo, I Capuleti and Montecchi (Bellini)
2018. Dottor Grenvil, La traviata (Verdi)
2019. Barone di Trombonok, Il viaggio a Reims (Rossini)
2020. Der Lautsprecher, Der Kaiser von Atlantis ( Ullmann)

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DAVID ASTORGA, TENOR

Ein soldat / Harlekin in Der Kaiser von Atlantis

He began his studies at the National University of Costa Rica, continuing at Le Conservatoire Royal in Brussels. He graduated from the Flanders Opera Vlaanderen Ballet. He studied at the Centro de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo at the Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia and at Opera (e) Opera de Tenerife Opera with the role of Ramiro in the production of La Cenerentola (Rossini). He has played roles such as Actaeon (Actaeon, Charpentier), Dario (L’incoronazione di Dario, Vivaldi), Il conte d’Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini), Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Mozart), Nemorino (L ‘elisir d’amore, Donizetti) or Fenton (Falstaff, Verdi). Recently he has played Javier Moreno (Luisa Fernanda, Torroba) in Opera of Tenerife, Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni, Mozart) in San José (Costa Rica); Albazar (Il Turco in Italia, Rossini) in Oviedo and Alfredo Germont (La traviata, Verdi) in the Opera of Santo Domingo; also, the leading roles in Faust (Gounoud) and Candide (Bernstein) in the Estonian National Opera. Among his next commitments are Rigoletto in Busseto and Roberto Devereux in the Teatro Massimo di Palermo.

 

Presence in Ópera de Tenerife:

2017. Hoffmann, Les contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach)
2018. Tamino, Die Zauberflöte (Mozart)
2019. Alfredo Germont, La traviata (Verdi)
2020. Cavaliere Belfiore, Il viaggio a Reims (Rossini)
2021. 2019 Pang, Turandot (Puccini)

2019. The Witch, Hänsel und Gretel (Humperdinck)
2020. Alfredo Germont, La Traviata (Verdi)
2021. Ein soldat / Harlekin, Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Ullmann)

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FRANCISCO CRESPO, BASS

Der Tod in Der Kaiser von Atlantis

Born in Granada. Study with Carlos Chausson, Coral Morales and Giulio Zappa. It is part of the Opera Studio of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Naples Opera Program, both supervised by Renata Scotto.

 

He plays roles such as Masetto (Don Giovanni, Mozart), Lindoro (L’italiana in Algeri, Rossini), Dottore Grenvil (La traviata,Verdi), Moine (Don Carlos, Verdi), Servo del Doge (I Due Foscari, Verdi), Le duc (Romeo et Juliette, Gounod), Roucher (Andrea Chenier, Giordano), An Ebreo Vecchio (Samson et Dalila, Saint-Saëns), José Tripaldi (Ainadamar, Golijov), on stages like the Royal Theater, Teatro de la Zarzuela, Opera of Oviedo, Teatro de la Maestranza; and in productions by Woody Allen, Giancarlo del Monaco, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Anton Rechi, Albert Boadella, Paco Azorín and directors such as Marco Armiliato, Pablo Heras-Casado, Paolo Olmi, Ramón Tebar, Alessandro Vitiello, Giuliano Carella, Gianluca Marcianò or Alain Guingal, among others. Recent and upcoming commitments are Stabat Mater (Rossini) in Ravenna (Italy); he world premiere of Fuenteovejuna (Muñiz); Madama Butterfly (Puccini) in ROH Muscat (Oman) or Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) in the Opera of Oviedo.

 

Presence in Ópera de Tenerife:

2019. Der Tod, Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Ullmann) Debut

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LAURA VERRECCHIA, MEZZOSOPRANO

Der Trommler in Der Kaiser von Atlantis

Born in 1990, studies singing with teacher Antonella Sdoja. She also attends the International Singing Academy of soprano Katia Ricciarelli and in 2010 debuts as Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni, Mozart). In September 2015 she graduated with honors in singing under the tutelage of Donatella Debolini at the Cherubini Conservatory in Florence. She immediately won important competitions, among them she won the First Prize of the II International Opera Contest of Ópera de Tenerife.

 

In 2015 she premiered the role of Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini) in the Tuscan Circuit and in Florence for the Summer Festival; Laura (Il convitato di pietra, Pacini) in Pisa; Requiem (Mozart) in Trieste and Lucilla (La scala di seta, Rossini) with Aslico. She debuts as Rinaldo (Rinaldo, Handel) in Opera de Tenerife; Isabella (L’italiana in Algeri, Rossini) at the Erl and Dejanira Festival (Mirandolina, Martinů) in La Fenice. Also, Mércèdes (Carmen, Bizet) in La Fenice directed by Myung-Whun Chung; Siebel (Faust, Gounod) and Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Mozart) in Florence and for her debut in Glyndebourne.sings again L’italiana in Algeri at the Erl, Toulon and Trieste Festival; Il barbiere di Siviglia in La Fenice and Angelina (Cenerentola, Rossini) in Florence.

 

Among her recent and future commitments include her debut as Suzuki (Madama Butterfly, Puccini); Maffio (Lucrecia Borgia, Donizetti) in Trieste; Nicklausse (Les contes d’Hoffmann, Offenbach) in Naples, Isoletta (La straniera, Bellini) directed by Fabio Luisi at Maggio Musicale in Florence; Rossini (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini) at the Savonlinna Festival and Mércèdes (Carmen, Bizet) in Muscat.

 

Presence in Ópera de Tenerife:

2015. International Opera Song Contest (1st Prize)
2016. Rinaldo, Rinaldo (Handel)
2017. Der Trommler, Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Ullmann)