Italian celebrities to Vestnik Kavkaza on premiere of ‘Madam Butterfly’ opera in Baku

The Italian Opera Days dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the death of the great composer Gioacchino Rossini are held in Baku these days. Tomorrow evening, one of the most important events of this festival will take place at the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater - ‘Madame Butterfly’ opera by Giacomo Puccini. Vestnik Kavkaza spoke with the conductor of the opera, Jacopo Sipari di Pescasseroli, the performer of the party of Cio-Cio-San, Silvana Froli, and the art director of the Italian Opera Days in Baku, composer Francesco Maggio about Baku and the upcoming premiere.

Jacopo Sipari di Pescasseroli thanked Azerbaijan for the opportunity to conduct the orchestra in the framework of the festival. "This is my first time in Baku, and I am very happy to be here - this city is simply amazing and beautiful. I like the emotions that I feel when I walk through its streets. The Baku people are amazing people, in general everything is wonderful, including the weather. Before I came here, I could not even think that Baku would have such a wonderful atmosphere, especially in the theater - a very interesting orchestra, the soloists showed their interest in the premiere, and I like to work with them. I am sure that the first night will be simply grandiose, "he stressed.

The conductor said that he had been invited to the Italian Opera Days in Baku by Francesco Maggio. "He is very close to Azerbaijan and very fond of Azerbaijan. He told me: "Jacopo, please come, here's an amazing atmosphere, you have to discover this new world." Maestro Maggio also invited Mrs. Froli, one of the most famous performers of Giacomo Puccini's operas in Italy. We work together at the Puccini Foundation, which organizes a key festival in Europe dedicated to Giacomo Puccini. We wanted to make a fantastic premiere of ‘Madam Butterfly’ opera, and for this, we needed fantastic performers, so we invited Ms. Froli, who was very happy to come here, "Jacopo Sipari di Pescasseroli told.

"It's very important for a conductor to work with the main soprano, this is a special musical relationship, so now we hope that we will be able to show here genuine Italian music. We really liked the orchestra - the musicians in Baku are clever, quickly grasp our interpretation of opera and emotion. We are sure that the performance will be magnificent. Froli is the only foreign singer in the premiere, all the other performers are from Azerbaijan, and this is very important since it is necessary to strengthen cultural relations between our countries. For the orchestra and singers, this will be a valuable experience, a kind of master class, as we offer them an Italian musical concept, " the conductor drew attention.

Silvana Froli, in turn, admitted that she was fascinated by Baku and the hospitality with which she was welcomed in Azerbaijan. "Azerbaijani colleagues are incredibly friendly and help me in everything. I am very pleased that I was invited to this opera, because ‘Madame Butterfly’  feels like my opera. I hope that I will be able to convey the feelings of Puccini to this audience, and I think that I will succeed with such a wonderful conductor as Jacopo Sipari di Pescasseroli. Giacomo Puccini is considered a composer of emotions, and therefore it is so important to convey the real, sincere feelings of his opera to the audience, "she said.

"We tried to preserve the typical Italian style in shades, colors, the performance of the orchestra and artists. This is a special characteristic of the performance - Italian sincerity, which is so important because the difficulty of Giacomo Puccini is that for him as a composer the words have special significance, this is almost the main part of his operas. I am sincerely grateful to Maestro Francesco Maggio for the opportunity to perform in Baku, after all, so I was able to exchange experience with local artists, learn their views on opera and introduce them to Italian traditions, " added Silvana Froli.

Francesco Maggio

Francesco Maggio promised Baku spectators a completely new ‘Madam Butterfly’ opera. ”I appreciate Mr. Sipari and Mrs. Froli for that they bring the Italian spirit to the fulfillment of this opera. I know that Azerbaijani spectators love and appreciate this opera as Italian classics and as a connection between West and East. I emphasize that the Baku Opera House has a very high artistic level both in terms of soloists, the choir, and in terms of the orchestra. My mission is, among other things, to introduce Azerbaijan and its musicians to Italy and Europe as a whole, " the art director of the  Italian Opera Days in Baku said.