29.01.2013
Neil Shicoff: a new chance to meet an old favourite
Music lovers are keenly awaiting the latest opportunity to enjoy the artistry of this legendary singer. The brilliant Neil Shicoff will perform the role of Captain Vere in the opera Billy Budd on February 13, and on February 17 he will sing the role of Eléazar, racked by hatred and a desire for revenge, in La Juive.
Two years ago, when he accepted the Golden Mask for this role at an awards ceremony in Moscow, Neil Shicoff told the audience: „It is a great honour for me to be recognized in Russia. I am overwhelmed to be accepting a Russian national award as a member of the Mikhailovsky Theatre team.“ It is noteworthy that this renowned tenor’s work with the Mikhailovsky Theatre has continued and deepened since its beginning with Eléazar, a signature role for Shicoff, and one which holds many challenges for the singer in its contradictions and extremes, evoking pity and bitterness in equal measure. Shicoff has performed as a guest star at the gala concert given by soloists in the Great Hall of the Philharmonic, sung the role of Herman in The Queen of Spades, and is now preparing to perform before a Russian audience in one of his favourite roles, the captain of the warship HMS Indomitable who is tormented by guilt. Neil Shicoff created this character for Willy Decker’s production at the Vienna State Opera. This, as well as the artist’s long-standing attachment to the Mikhailovsky Theatre, clearly demonstrates that he is not just taking part in a new production at the Mikhailovsky, but proffering an interpretation that is a significant emotional touchstone for him.
Edward Fairfax Vere is the main protagonist of Benjamin Britten’s opera Billy Budd. The situation in which the character finds himself leaves him no possible peace of mind or equanimity. The law and his own sense of justice collide in such a way that he is forced to make a decision that will weigh on his soul for the rest of his life. This is a hero racked with inner turmoil. It is in these roles that Neil Shicoff is at his most natural, since they embody such different aspects of his own complex nature.
Two years ago, when he accepted the Golden Mask for this role at an awards ceremony in Moscow, Neil Shicoff told the audience: „It is a great honour for me to be recognized in Russia. I am overwhelmed to be accepting a Russian national award as a member of the Mikhailovsky Theatre team.“ It is noteworthy that this renowned tenor’s work with the Mikhailovsky Theatre has continued and deepened since its beginning with Eléazar, a signature role for Shicoff, and one which holds many challenges for the singer in its contradictions and extremes, evoking pity and bitterness in equal measure. Shicoff has performed as a guest star at the gala concert given by soloists in the Great Hall of the Philharmonic, sung the role of Herman in The Queen of Spades, and is now preparing to perform before a Russian audience in one of his favourite roles, the captain of the warship HMS Indomitable who is tormented by guilt. Neil Shicoff created this character for Willy Decker’s production at the Vienna State Opera. This, as well as the artist’s long-standing attachment to the Mikhailovsky Theatre, clearly demonstrates that he is not just taking part in a new production at the Mikhailovsky, but proffering an interpretation that is a significant emotional touchstone for him.
Edward Fairfax Vere is the main protagonist of Benjamin Britten’s opera Billy Budd. The situation in which the character finds himself leaves him no possible peace of mind or equanimity. The law and his own sense of justice collide in such a way that he is forced to make a decision that will weigh on his soul for the rest of his life. This is a hero racked with inner turmoil. It is in these roles that Neil Shicoff is at his most natural, since they embody such different aspects of his own complex nature.
