Opera at Italy’s La Scala live on Turkish movie screens

DENİZ İNCEOĞLU, Hürriyet , Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Turkish art lovers will have a chance to see a live opera at the famous Italian La Scala Theater. On April 29 legendary Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will be live on screen at Cinebonus movie theaters in Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir with one of Verdi’s most important operas, ’Simon Boccanegra’

Cinebonus movie theaters in Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir will show a live opera from Italy’s famous La Scala Theater on April 29. One of Verdi’s most important operas, “Simon Boccanegra,” which features politics and love, will appear on stage.

The opera, starring the legendary Spanish tenor Placido Domingo and one of the world’s best known opera artists, Italian Ferruccio Furlanetto, will be led by the world-renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim, who was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, or İKSV, last year.

Jose Placido Domingo Embil, better known as Placido Domingo, who is known for his strong and dramatic tenor voice, will play baritone Simon in the opera.

Domingo, who turns 69 this year, debuted on stage March 28, 2008, for the 128th time, giving him more roles than any other tenor. He has since extended his hold on the record. Domingo is also an orchestra conductor and spoke about Verdi and La Scala.

‘Artists should know La Scala’s history’

He has seen many opera buildings throughout his career, and when asked about the difference between La Scala and these buildings, Domingo said each opera artist who performs at La Scala should know about its history. “The premiers of all Italian composers and other foreigners have been made at La Scala over the last 200 years, and hundreds of master opera artists, dancers and chefs worked there. The significance of the history of this stage can intimidate a person but inspire at the same time. You want to do your very best performance there,” he said.

Domingo said Verdi holds a special place in his heart and repertoire, adding that he was the best past composer. He said he had so far performed almost all tenor roles in Verdi’s operas. “I also performed some parts of the lead tenor Gabriele Adorno in the opera ‘Simon Boccanegra,’ but the leading hero of this opera is baritone Simon. This role is one of the most important ones of Verdi’s repertoire. I have dreamed of performing this role for years although he is a baritone. Now I am on stage to play this role.”

Speaking about the difficulties of performing an aria as a baritone, Domingo said there were some difficulties but all of Verdi’s leading roles have difficulties that need to be overcome. “Simon is a very complicated character in terms of psychology. The person who plays this role should understand what kind of a man he is,” he said.

Domingo has so far performed many roles, and there are also many other roles he wants to play. “But they are far from me,” he said.

This year Domingo will perform in “Simon Boccanegra” in the United Kingdom and Madrid and will also perform Sigmund in “The Valkyrie” in Los Angeles. Domingo offered his thanks to the cinema project in Turkey, adding that thousands of people who have not had a chance to come to La Scala would be able to see him on stage, which makes him very excited.

Tickets for live opera

Ticket prices for the live opera are 45 Turkish liras at Cinebonus movie theaters in Istanbul and 35 liras in Ankara and İzmir. Tickets are available through www.cinebonus.com.tr and Cinebonus box offices.

The Cinebonus movie theaters that will screen the live opera will be: Kanyon in Levent, Nautilus in Kadıköy, Capacity in Bakırköy, Gmall in Maçka, Palladium in Kozyatağı, Panora in Ankara and Kipa in İzmir.

Simon Boccanegra

Simon Boccanegra is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi and an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on a play with the same name by Antonio García Gutiérrez in 1843 and was first performed at Teatro La Fenice, Venice on March 12, 1857. The opera is set in Genoa, Italy, in the 14th century. In the play, the leaders of the plebeians are conspiring to name the former pirate Simon Boccanegra as “doge” (chief magistrate). He accepts because he hopes to marry a woman named Maria. However, she has died, and the illegitimate child she and Boccanegra had has disappeared.