Bregenz shocks festival world with an unknown Hamlet
mainThe lakeside festival is taking a huge risk next summer with Hamlet by Franco Faccio (1840-91), premiered in Genoa in 1865 and revived six years later at La Scala.
Its only subsequent production was by Opera Southwest at Albuquerque, in 2014.
UPDATE: The rediscovery is the work of conductor Anthony Barrese, who will lead a new production at Delaware in May, ahead of the Bregenz staging.
Faccio (c) Lebrecht Music&Arts
Bregenz Intendant Elizabeth Sobotka has loved the score since she was a student. The title role will be sung by Pavel Cernoch, a tenor from Brno. Details were announced today.
Bregenz’s other big show is Turandot.
Puccini’s, since you asked.
A very welcome kind of shock. It will be fascinating to see and hear this, especially as Amleto has a libretto by Boito.
Why shocked? Why a huge risk? This is Bregenz tradition since David Poutney started with unknown operas/new composition in the Festival House. Just copying a successful tradition, the new Mrs. who does dislike Wagner
Alfred Wopmann – the famous Bregenz Artistical Director for 20 years – did start the serie ‘Ausgrabungsopern’ – I have seen all since 1993 but will skip Ameleto this year.
I reviewed the concert performance in October, 2014. I look forward to seeing the staged production in Delaware this spring.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/forgotten-hamlet-at-bco-shows-missing-link-in-19th-century-italian-opera/2014/10/03/7ae1a8a2-4b27-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html
Thank you for this, Mr Lebrecht. I must confess that I had never heard of Faccio; however based on this music clip of the funeral march from Hamlet he is definitely worth reviving.