Caruso à Monaco
On the occasion of Monaco's National Holiday
During the glorious decades of Raoul Gunsbourg’s directorship of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, one name in particular stands out among so many marvellous singers: Enrico Caruso. The stellar American career of this Neapolitan singer is well-known, but most of us are less familiar with his impressive appear-ances in Monte Carlo. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of his birth, we once more shed light on this wonderful period as part of the festivities on the Principality’s National Day. After Caruso’s debut in La bohème at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo in 1902, he made his first sensational appearances in Paris with our company. During three seasons, until 1904, he performed most of his celebrated roles in Monaco before being drawn into the American star system. In 1915, when he was at the height of his glory and the theatre directed by Raoul Gunsbourg was experiencing enormous difficulties due to World War I, the tenor undertook a dangerous crossing of the Atlantic to perform in Monte Carlo, thereby honouring the promise he had made to the director of the Opera to return to sing again at this theatre one day.
As a tribute to this legendary artist, it was imperative to call on the greatest artists of our time: Sir Antonio Pappano, Jonas Kaufmann and Davide Livermore will join forces to make this a memorable evening.
MONTE CARLO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
production team
Conductor
Sir Antonio Pappano
Director
Davide Livermore
Assistant stage director & Translator
Aida Bousselma
Dramaturgy
Davide Livermore
Aida Bousselma
Paolo Gep Cucco
Alberto Mattioli
Sets
Giò Forma
Lighting design
Antonio CASTRO
Videos
D-Wok
Sound designer
Mario Conte
Repetitor
Andrea DEL BIANCO
Choirmaster
Stefano Visconti
SOLoISTS
Tenor
Jonas Kaufmann
Actors
Remo Girone
Alfonso Antoniozzi
CHŒUR DE L’OPÉRA DE MONTE-CARLO
Choirmaster
Stefano Visconti
Pianist assistant to the choirmaster & consultant for the musical organisation
Aurelio Scotto
Chorus manager & librarian
Colette Audat
Sopranos I
Galia BAKALOV
Antonella CESARIO
Chiara IAIA
Giovanna MINNITI
Felicity MURPHY
Paola VIARA-VALLE
Sopranos II
Rossella ANTONACCI
Valérie MARRET
Letizia PIANIGIANI
Laura Maria ROMO CONTRERAS
VITTORIA GIACOBAZZI
Mezzo-sopranos
Teresa BRAMWELL-DAVIES
Géraldine MELAC
Suma MELLANO
Federica SPATOLA
Altos
ORNELLA CORVI
Maria-Elisabetta DE GIORGI
Catia PIZZI
Paola SCALTRITI
Rosa TORTORA
Ténors I
Walter BARBARIA
Lorenzo CALTAGIRONE
Domenico CAPPUCCIO
Vincenzo DI NOCERA
Thierry DIMEO
Nicolo LA FARCIOLA
Ténors II
Gianni COSSU
Pasquale FERRARO
Fabio MARZI
Adolfo SCOTTO DI LUZIO
Salvatore TAIELLO
Barytons
Fabio BONAVITA
Vincenzo CRISTOFOLI
Daniele DEL BUE
Luca VIANELLO
Basses
Andrea ALBERTOLLI
Przemyslaw BARANEK
Paolo MARCHINI
Edgardo RINALDI
Matthew THISTLETON
ORCHESTRE PHILHARMONIQUE DE MONTE-CARLO
Artistic and musical director
KAZUKI YAMADA
Violins I
David Lefèvre
Liza Kerob
Sibylle Duchesne
Ilyoung Chae
Diana Mykhalevych
Gabriel Milito
Sorin Turc
Mitchell Huang
Thierry Bautz
Zhang Zhang
Isabelle Josso
Morgan Bodinaud
Milena Legourska
Jae-Eun Lee
Adela Urcan
NN
Violins II
Peter Szüts
Nicolas Delclaud
Camille Ameriguian-Musco
Frédéric Gheorghiu
Nicolas Slusznis
Alexandre Guerchovitch
Gian Battista Ermacora
Laetitia Abraham
Katalin Szüts-Lukacs
Eric Thoreux
Raluca Hood-Marinescu
Andriy Ostapchuk
Sofija Radic
Hubert Touzery
Altos
François Méreaux
Federico Andres Hood
François Duchesne
Charles Lockie
Richard Chauvel
Mireille Wojciechowski
Sofia Timofeeva
Tristan Dely
Raphaël Chazal
Ying Xiong
Thomas Bouzy
Ruggero Mastrolorenzi
Cellos
Thierry Amadi
Delphine Perrone
Alexandre Fougeroux
Florence Riquet
Bruno Posadas
Thomas Ducloy
Patrick Bautz
Florence Leblond
Thibault Leroy
Caroline Roeland
Double basses
Matthias Bensmana
Tarik Bahous
Mariana Vouytcheva
Jenny Boulanger
Sylvain Rastoul
Eric Chapelle
Dorian Marcel
NN
Flutes
ANNE MAUGUE
RAPHAËLLE TRUCHOT BARRAYA
DELPHINE HUEBER
Piccolo
MALCY GOUGET
Oboe
MATTHIEU BLOCH
MATTHIEU PETITJEAN
MARTIN LEFÈVRE
English horn
Mathilde Rampelberg
Clarinets
MARIE-B. BARRIÈRE-BILOTE
nn
E-flat clarinet
DIANA SAMPAIO
Bass clarinet
Véronique Audard
Bassoons
FRANCK LAVOGEZ
ARTHUR MENRATH
MICHEL MUGOT
Contrabassoon
FRÉDÉRIC CHASLINE
Horns
PATRICK PEIGNIER
ANDREA CESARI
DIDIER FAVRE
BERTRAND RAQUET
LAURENT BETH
DAVID PAUVERT
Trumpets
MATTHIAS PERSSON
GÉRALD ROLLAND
SAMUEL TUPIN
RÉMY LABARTHE
Trombones
JEAN-YVES MONIER
GILLES GONNEAU
LUDOVIC MILHIET
Tuba
FLORIAN WIELGOSIK
Timpani & Percussions
Julien Bourgeois
Mathieu Draux
Antoine Lardeau
Noé Ferro
Harp
SOPHIA STECKELER
STAGE STAFF
Stage Director
Xavier Laforge
Main stage manager
Nathalie Bruno
Stage manager
Elisabetta Acella
Lighting manager
Ferxel Fourgon
Assistant lighting manager
Léa Smith
Surtitling manager
Sarah Caussé
TECHNIQUE
Technical Director
Vincent Payen
Technical adviser
Nicola Schmid
Head Machinists
Carlos Grenier
Olivier Kinoo
Deputy head machinists
Yann Moreau
Franck Satizelle
Decorative painter
Gérard Périchon
Stage technicians
Francomarah Augustin
Laurent Barcelo
Tom Cressi
Morgan Dubouil
Jean-Philippe Faraut
Axel Gbedo
Schama Imbert
Frédéric Laugier
David M’Bappé
Khalid Negraoui
Chief électrician
Benoît Vigan
Deputy chief electrician
Dino Bastieri
GAEL LE MAUX
Lighting technicians
Nicolas ALCARAZ
Harley BASILE
Guillaume BREMOND
Grégory CAMPANELLA
Florian CAPELLO
Ludovic DRUIT
Laurent RENAUX
Pupitreurs
Dylan Castori
Grégory Masse
Head of audio/video
Benjamin Grunler
Video technician
Felipe Manrique
Head prop maker
Audrey Moravec
Accessorists
Franck ESCOBAR
Roland BIREN
Landry BASILE
Emilie TRABONA
Head of costumes
Eliane Mezzanotte
Deputy head of costume
Emilie Bouneau
Assistant wardrobe manager
Edwige Galli
Véronique Tetu
Dressers
Roxane AVELLO
Justine BORDARIER
Christian CALVIERA
Carla CAPUANO
Laure CHABOT
Nadine CIMBOLINI
Henda DRIDI
Lili FORTIN
Anaïs GILLOUX
Karinne MARTIN
Florence RINALDINO
Lauriane SENET
Mathieu TARKOWSKI
Anne-Louise VAIDIE
Chief wig and make-up
Déborah Nelson
Deputy Chief wig and make-up
Alicia Bovis
Hairdressers
Mylène AUGET
Jean-Pierre GALLINA
Christine OTASSO
Marilyn RIEUL
Natasha SANNA
Make-up artists
Margot JOURDAN
Sophie KILIAN
Agnès LOZANO
Rémy REBAUDO
Francine RICHARD
Patricia ROCHWERG
Sir Antonio Pappano
Have you worked in Monte Carlo before?
When I was very young, I had the chance to do a symphonic programme with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, and remember how excellent it was. We did Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto and Debussy’s Ibéria, both of which were a great challenge for me at the time…
Some words about Jonas Kaufmann…
We have probably been working together for 20 years now. I am proud to have conducted so many of his role debuts at Covent Garden: his first Don José, Cavaradossi, Chénier, Otello, Des Grieux, and others. Moreover, we recorded many of his solo recitals and entire operas. Jonas is a complete artist: his voice, his personality, command of language and musicianship are extraordinary, also his facility to go from a big forte to the softest pianissimo within one phrase. He was courageous and fortunate to have mastered a profound transformation of his vocal technique in order to achieve this, a topic I that fascinates me, my father having been a voice teacher.
What is the difference between Italian 19th century repertoire, such as Verdi, and the turn of the 20th century, for instance Puccini?
I feel that Verdi’s music is still grounded in the classical period. Even though in his later works it becomes harmonically more inventive, the vocal line remains very much exposed, whereas Puccini famously doubles it up with the orchestra, which requires far more physical power from the singer. But generally, you must always maintain the balance between the three elements of the holy trinity of Italian music: harmony, melody and text.
Could you tell us more about Enrico Caruso, whose 150th birthday we celebrate in 2023?
You should really listen to him on those old machines for playing 78 records in order to fully understand the size, masculinity and range of this spectacular voice. Moreover, there is an incredible honesty in his singing, it is full of panache and – in the tragic parts – a natural pathos. Of course, Caruso’s rise to fame coincided with the beginning of the recording era, which is why his impact became so big. Every sector of our lives – our history, politics, art or science – has those pillars that mark a particular era, place or time profoundly. Caruso simply defined opera.
Galerie photos
