Roberto Alagna C’est magnifique !

Singer, director, composer, arranger, conductor: José Pick is a Belgian artist of many talents. After starting out as a soloist in the then highly popular operetta repertoire (La Belle de Cadix, Le Pays du Sourire, La Belle Hélène), José Pick quickly moved on to larger-scale projects, which he himself initiated. He conducted numerous operetta performances, notably as part of the Jacques Offenbach Festival in Baden-Baden (Germany). To support the many concerts he gave, notably at the Forum de Liège, and on his numerous tours alongside Roberto Alagna, as well as the cabaret revues and musicals he wrote himself, José Pick founded the Golden Pick Orchestra, which he will conduct on stage at the Monte Carlo Opera in C'est magnifique !. A man of the theater and lover of the stage, José Pick also directed productions at the Théâtre Sébastopol in Lille and the Théâtre Royal in Mons for 10 years. In the midst of the Covid pandemic, he set up the web media Golden TV, for which he organized singing tours, thus enabling artists to perform on stage.  

Born in Livorno (ltaly) in 1960, Stefano Visconti studied the piano and then choral conducting with Fosco Corti and Roberto Gabbiano, as well as orchestra conducting with Piero Bellugi and Giancarlo Andretta. He was appointed choirmaster at Opéra de Monte-Carlo in 2007. Before this he was choirmaster at the Teatro Goldoni, Livorno (1991-2001), Choirmaster at the Opéra-Théâtre d’Avignon (2001-2007), as well as Choirmaster at the Festival Puccini, Torre del Lago (1999-2015). From 1984 to 2001 he conducted the Guido Monaco Polyphonic Choir of Livorno which, under his direction, won several national awards (Vittorio Veneto, Arezzo and Florence competitions). In 2000 he founded the Chamber Choir of Tuscany, formed of professionals. He directed the reconstitution of the complete sacred works of Giuseppe Cambini for soloists, choir, and orchestra. Since 2008 he has conducted the choirs of the Sanxay Lyrical Evenings. He is the artistic and music director of the Monte Carlo Chamber Choir. He has made several recordings with Foné, Agora and Kikko Classics, in particular several of Mascagni’s operas (L’amico Fritz, I Rantzau, Lodoletta, Guglielmo Ratcliff, Silvano, Cavalleria rusticana, Iris and Sì). Since 2017 he has directed the coordination of the choirs for the Chorégies d’Orange festival.

Over the course of nearly forty years, Franco-Sicilian tenor Roberto Alagna has performed more than sixty roles, including Alfredo, Andrea Chénier, Calaf, Canio, Cavaradossi, Des Grieux, Don Carlo(s), Don José, Faust, Manrico, Maurizio, Nemorino, Otello, Radamès, Rodolfo, Roméo, Ruggero, Samson, Turiddu, and Werther. He has appeared over a hundred times on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Ballet and Opera, and the Paris National Opera, establishing himself as one of the most renowned French tenor in the world. Drawn to rare and lesser-known repertoire, he has explored works such as Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame, Le Cid, La Navarraise by Massenet, Fiesque by Lalo, Francesca da Rimini by Zandonai, Le Roi Arthus by Chausson, L’Enfant prodigue by Debussy, and L’Africaine by Meyerbeer. Two operas have been composed specifically for him: Marius et Fanny by Vladimir Cosma and Le Dernier jour d’un condamné by David Alagna. His prolific discography spans operas, duets, anthologies, and popular songs. Deeply committed to preserving and sharing a rich and eclectic musical heritage, he devotes a significant part of his career to French, Neapolitan, and Sicilian song — a tradition he celebrates today in C’est magnifique! His recent recordings include Puccini in Love, Le Chanteur, Caruso 1873, Pärt’s Stabat Mater, Seigneur, and Roberto Alagna 60. A familiar face on French television, he also took to the stage of the Folies Bergère in 2023 to play the role of Al Capone. At the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, he has appeared in recital on several occasions and performed in Luisa Miller, Adriana Lecouvreur, and Tosca.