The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is pulling out all the stops for this year’s highly exclusive, invite-only National Day concert with a performance dedicated to arguably the most famous tenor singer of the early 20th century, Enrico Caruso.
Every year, a special one-off concert concludes the celebrations of Monaco’s very own National Day on 19th November. This year, it will honour the legendary tenor, Enrico Caruso.
Caruso was born in Napoli and came from a poor background. Despite this, his incomparable voice led him to the heights of stardom, where he graced the stages of such exalted venues as La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Before Caruso was a household name, in 1902, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s then-director, the equally acclaimed Raoul Gunsbourg, invited him to perform La Bohème in the Principality. Caruso later went on to make his first legendary appearances in Paris with the Monegasque chorus.
During the next few years, Caruso tread the boards singing many of his most celebrated roles in the Principality before he was lured away to New York. In 1915, when he was at the top of his game, his old friend Gunsbourg found the Opéra to be in financial straits due to World War I. Caruso took action and made the dangerous ocean crossing, fulfilling a promise made to his friend that he would one day return again to Monaco and helped inspire anew its cultural scene.
As a tribute to Caruso, who was born 150 years ago this year, today’s Opéra has called on some of the greatest artists of our time, including conductor Sir Antonio Pappano and tenors Jonas Kaufmann and Davide Livermore, who will join forces to make this event a truly unforgettable evening.
This Palace-initiated and invitation-only concert event will take place on 19th November at the Grimaldi Forum from 7pm. For more information, click here.
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Photo credit: Palais Princier de Monaco