28.01.2013
A Masterful Santuzza
The première of Cavalleria rusticana, one of the popular operatic masterpieces, took place on the stage of the Mikhailovsky Theatre five years ago. This performance became the first opera première in the newest history of the Theatre. Produced by famous cinema director Liliana Cavani, the production captivates the audience with its dramatic verisimilitude, stripped of traditional theatrical convention.
Theatre fans are accustomed to seeing international opera stars perform in winter productions of Cavalleria rusticana: on 9 February, the role of Santuzza will be sung by renowned mezzo-soprano Marianne Cornetti. Ms. Cornetti achieved her fame thanks to her brilliant performances of Verdi’s heroines: Amneris in Aida, Azucena in Il trovatore, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, and Princess Eboli in Don Carlos. The public is in raptures over the remarkable voice, artistry, and vocal mastery of this wonderful singer, both in Italy, home of bel canto — at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, and Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste — and around the world. Marianne Cornetti is a welcome guest on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, and the Bavarian State Opera.
The singer has successfully proven herself in the Wagnerian repertoire — she has sung Ortrud in Lohengrin and Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde — but her voice and temperament are best suited to the Italian classics. Alongside Verdi, a special and highly important part of her repertoire includes operas by Verismo composers. Marianne Cornetti has sung the role of Rosa in Cilea’s L’arlesiana (most notably at Carnegie Hall in New York), as well as Princess de Bouillon in Adriana Lecouvreur at the Teatro Comunale in Florence and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Santuzza in Mascagni’s opera is considered one of her strongest roles. Following her debut at the Hamburg State Opera, she was invited to perform this role at La Scala, and in February 2011 Marianne Cornetti sang Santuzza on this renowned stage in a performance conducted by Daniel Harding.
Theatre fans are accustomed to seeing international opera stars perform in winter productions of Cavalleria rusticana: on 9 February, the role of Santuzza will be sung by renowned mezzo-soprano Marianne Cornetti. Ms. Cornetti achieved her fame thanks to her brilliant performances of Verdi’s heroines: Amneris in Aida, Azucena in Il trovatore, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, and Princess Eboli in Don Carlos. The public is in raptures over the remarkable voice, artistry, and vocal mastery of this wonderful singer, both in Italy, home of bel canto — at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, and Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste — and around the world. Marianne Cornetti is a welcome guest on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, and the Bavarian State Opera.
The singer has successfully proven herself in the Wagnerian repertoire — she has sung Ortrud in Lohengrin and Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde — but her voice and temperament are best suited to the Italian classics. Alongside Verdi, a special and highly important part of her repertoire includes operas by Verismo composers. Marianne Cornetti has sung the role of Rosa in Cilea’s L’arlesiana (most notably at Carnegie Hall in New York), as well as Princess de Bouillon in Adriana Lecouvreur at the Teatro Comunale in Florence and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Santuzza in Mascagni’s opera is considered one of her strongest roles. Following her debut at the Hamburg State Opera, she was invited to perform this role at La Scala, and in February 2011 Marianne Cornetti sang Santuzza on this renowned stage in a performance conducted by Daniel Harding.
