The Mississauga Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to the late, great operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti with a concert of the varied music that made up his career.
Along with his stellar career in the field of opera, later in life, Pavarotti made the crossover into pop music, and became even more famous for his collaborations with various other artists.
It’s that varied legacy that the MSO and Music Director Denis Mastromonaco aim to bring to life. We spoke with Maestro Mastromonaco about the concert, and that rich history in music.
The Concert: Artists
An award-winning conductor, Denis Mastromonaco’s background includes both orchestral music and opera, including prior engagements with Royal Opera Canada, the National Academy Orchestra and the State University of New York, where he taught conducting and worked with a number of ensembles.
The concert features guest artists tenor Romulo Delgado, soprano Sara Papini, accordionist Carmen Spada, and the Mississauga Festival Choir.
Operatic tenor Romulo Delgado keeps a busy performance schedule along with his other roles as composer, world music multi-instrumentalist, vocal coach, and adjudicator. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and became a regional finalist at the Hans Gabor Belvedere International Opera competition in Vienna, Austria. He’s since taken the stage across North America and Europe in a variety of roles, including Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata, Don Jose in Bizet’s Carmen, The Duke of Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto, and more, along with performing as a soloist in concert oratorios
A graduate of the Mannes College of Music in New York City, soprano Sara Papini has frequently performed in New York City and in Toronto, in Italy, including on the Italian TV show I Raccomandati in Rome, in France and in Israel. Her operatic roles include both Mimi and Musetta in La Boheme, Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, Norina in Don Pasquale, Gilda in Rigoletto, Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Nedda in Pagliacci and Hannah Glawari in Merry Widow, among others.
Pianist, accordionist, vocalist, composer, arranger, songwriter, and educator Carmen Spada is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, where he earned a dual major in Piano Performance and Jazz Composition. Since graduation, he’s continued to establish performing roots in both the New England area and his native Toronto. In Canada, he’s performed at the National Arts Centre, Aeolian Hall, Rose Theatre, Living Arts Centre, Isabel Bader Theatre, Westben Theatre, among other prominent venues. While his specialties continue to be jazz and global music, he has established a firm niche in the crossover category.
The Music
The program includes both operatic arias and duets, and the iconic Neapolitan songs that Pavarotti also favoured in his recording and performing career.
The program includes:
- Orchestra: Verdi’s Overture to La Forza del Destino & Bizet’s Prelude from Carmen
- Chorus: Verdi’s Va Pensiero from Nabucco, and the Anvil Chorus from Il Torvatore
- Arias: Puccini’s Nessun Dorma from Turandot, E Luceven le Stelle from Tosca, and O Soave Fanciulla and Musetta’s Waltz from La Boheme; and Verdi’s La Donna e Mobile from Rigoletto
- Neapolitan Songs: Caruso; O Sole Mio; Torna a Surriento; Funiculi Funicula
Denis Mastromonaco: The Interview
After a couple of seasons where MSO produced full operas, it’s a switch back to where they began. “This year, we’ve gone back to […] an opera highlights format,” says MSO Music Director Denis Mastromonaco. “It’s the 90th anniversary of what would have been Pavarotti’s birthday.”
An opera highlights program has variety built into the concept, but in this case, it’s about bringing Pavarotti’s own music to life.
“In this format, just basing it on how Pavarotti used to do things — he was famous for his arias, but also his crossover,” Mastromonaco notes.
As he explains, the challenge in putting together a tribute like this one lies in finding a tenor who can sing all of Pavarotti’s repertoire. The big hits, the arias, require a certain kind of voice and presence. “Typically, a tenor or a spinto tenor would sing one of those, but not all of them,” he explains. “And then, the crossover, someone who can sing that…” he continues. He’s worked with Romulo several times over the past few years. “He is that tenor who can sing all that. With Romulo, someone who is capable of doing that, it’s a natural,” he adds.
“Romulo is our acting Pavarotti.”
Sara Papini adds the dimension of Pavarotti’s notable duets and other operatic works. “And we have an accordionist coming in for some of the traditional Neapolitan favourites.”
Sara Papini has also worked with Denis and MSO before. “She was my Micaela in our first production of Carmen. She’s a delight to work with.” It was important to find a strong singer who wouldn’t be overshadowed by the Pavarotti fireworks. “That’s really important – balance,” he says.
Pacing the program is another important issue. “The big arias are never back to back.” Spacing out the larger works allows the audience to appreciate them all in the right context.
The extra attention to programming is worth the effort. “It’s something that I’ve brought to Mississauga — I’m a fan of opera,” Mastromonaco says. As he notes, opera programming fills a void in Mississauga, where there is no permanent opera company per se.
If you’re a Pavarotti fan, it’s an unusual opportunity to hear his top ten hits all in one program. But, in the end, you don’t have to be a Pavarotti aficionado to appreciate the concert or the music.
“This is just that chance to see some incredibly fine singers,” Mastromonaco says. On top of the talent on stage, there is the venue itself. “Very often, when you get into opera, can the hall handle it?” he notes. The Living Arts Centre’s acoustics have been widely praised.
“It’s a great hall to perform in.”
- Find more details about the April 26 concert [HERE].
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