Don't miss: Viva Verdi!
Interview
On February 28 at 3pm, Oshawa Opera continues its 2015⁄16 season with Viva Verdi!, an afternoon of arias and ensembles from one of opera’s most beloved composers. Kristine Dandavino, mezzo-soprano and Artistic Director of Oshawa Opera, is joined by sopranos Stacie Carmona and Renée Salewski, baritone Michael York, tenor Jason Lamont, and pianist Sabatino Vacca for this opera-sized concert event.
We asked for a sneak peek from the team, and they were kind enough to tell us why they’re Verdi-philes.
Viva Verdi! happens at The Arts Resource Centre, 45 Queen St., Oshawa, 3pm on February 28th. Tickets are $25, and admission is free for anyone under 18! For full details and ticket information, follow our box office links below.
What do you love best about Verdi’s music?
Sabatino Vacca: Everything! What’s not to love? He was a master at marrying text to music, converting textual feelings and motives into passionate music!
Renée Salewski: I love that his music is accessible, and yet it remains interesting.
Stacie Carmona: I love how Verdi’s music is full of contrast. He writes grand moments that envelop the listener, like the Triumphal March in Aida, or the “Rex Tremendae” in the Requiem Mass. Then, his music can also be full of tenderness and vulnerability, for example: “Dio mi potevi scagliar” from Otello.
Kristine Dandavino: Verdi gets my voice. Unlike Puccini, Verdi wrote several fantastic roles for the dramatic mezzo-soprano voice, strong women that get to sing beautiful arias. That is my kind of man.
Michael York: The best thing about Verdi’s music is his directness. Even in his later more complex works, there’s always a straight line of what’s in the heart of a character; an aria or a scene with little ambiguity yet with a great amount of complexity.
If you could describe Verdi’s operas in one word, what would it be?
Kristine: Visceral.
Sabatino: Heroic!
Renée: Addictive.
Stacie and Michael: Human.
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