After a packed January schedule, which will see the Opéra de Monte-Carlo take on Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto and then Brahm’s haunting blend of Baroque funeral cantata and Romantic oratorio in Ein Deutsches Requiem, the first part of February will be rather quiet, but that will all change towards the end of the month… 

It won’t be until 23rd February that the Opéra de Monte-Carlo will appear again on stage in the Principality, but the return will be dramatic. 

See more: Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s Cecilia Bartoli to star as Cleopatra in ‘Giulio Cesare in Egitto’

Elements of the dark and the light will revive the season over four performances between 23rd and 29th February as the Opéra recreates two one-act operas: Cavalleria Rusticana and Gianni Schicchi.  

1889’s Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni is based on a short story of the same name. Set in Sicily, it is a tale of jealousy, revenge, lust, betrayal and murder, but without the melodrama that can often mar these kinds of dramatic pieces.  

See more: Opéra de Monte-Carlo to revive Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem

Gianni Schicchi, known widely as Giacomo Puccini’s only comedy, takes its inspiration from a scene in Dante’s Divine Comedy. The opera, which opened first in 1918, could almost be set today: it is the story of a scheming yet ingenious peasant who is called upon by the greedy relatives of a rich old man to change his will to their benefit. In a sleight of hand no one saw coming, he rewrites the will and leaves the fortune to himself, thus enabling him to pay for his daughter’s wedding.  

The full details about these performances can be found here. 

Rolando Villazón makes his return 

On 24th February, famed Mexican tenor, stage director, author, and radio and TV personality Rolando Villazón, who directed The Barber of Seville in Monaco during the spring of 2023, will make his return to the Principality.  

He will be performing extracts from works by Handel, Mozart, Haydn, Donizetti, Verdi, Offenbach, Tosti and more, accompanied by the recently founded Swiss Symphonic Orchestra, as conducted by Lena-Lisa Wüstendörfer. 

Tickets have already sold out, but you can click here for more information about the concert. 

Don’t forget…

Giulio Cesare in Egitto will be performed on 24th, 26th, 28th and 30th January. A gala night will coincide with the opening performance. For reservations and more information, click here.  

Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem will be revived on the Monaco stage on 29th January. To reserve your seat or for more information about the concert, click here.   

Read related:

Interview: Cecilia Bartoli on taking the Opéra de Monte-Carlo to new heights

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Photo credit: Opéra de Monte-Carlo