Teatro Grattacielo
2 Riverside Drive
2C
New York, NY
10023
212-595-7127
Season
2001: Risurrezione
About Franco Alfano Cast Synopsis
TEATRO GRATTACIELO
presents
Franco Alfano's
Risurrezione
opera in concert
ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY
Friday, November 30, 2001 at 8:00pm
ALICE TULLY HALL, LINCOLN CENTER
starring
Katiusha: Allison Charney
Dimitri: Michele Fiammardente
Simonson: Michael Corvino
Featuring:
Virginia Dupuy
Jessica Grigg
Lawrence Long
Barbar McAlister
Beth McCool
Jennifer Tiller
With:
Joshua Benaim
Scott Altman
Jessica Miller
Fredrick Redd
And:
Lydia Green
as La Piccola Fedia
THE CANTORI NEW YORK CHORUS
Mark Shapiro
Artistic Director
and
THE TEATRO GRATTACIELO
ORCHESTRA
conducted by
FIORA CONTINO
Born: Posillipo, March 8, 1875
Died: San Remo, October 27, 1954
While living in Paris composing ballets for the Folies Bergères, twenty-seven-year-old
Frank Alfano (who changed his given name to Franco in 1910), saw a theatrical
production of Resurrecton in November 1902. The Tolstoy (1928-1910) novel
on which it was based had been published in Russia in 1899 and appeared
in translation in France and Italy by 1901.
The novel, which dealt with Tolsoy's political philosophy about class inequality and the horrors of the Russian judicial and penal systems, stirred by the flames of political unrest already brewing in Russia at that time.
Alfano, unable to secure the rights to the play in order to set it to music, asked Cesare Hanau, an Italian journalist also living in Paris, to write the libretto, which focused on the story of the novel's two main characters and eliminated many of the work's philosophical aspects. The opera was composed at fever pitch in just five months in Paris (Acts I and II), Berlin (Act III), Russia (first part of Act IV) and at Alfano's home in Posillipo (final duet of Act IV).
Upon hearing the score, Ricordi arranged for its première in Turin at the Teatro Vittoria Emanuele conducted by the young Tulio Serafin on November 30, 1904, where it received glowing reviews. Productions followed at la Scala, Brussels, Berlin, and Madrid with tremendous success. By 1953, the opera had received 1000 performances in Italy alone.
The role of Katiusha has long been a favorite of sopranos including Mary Garden, who particularly championed the role, Augusta Oltrabella, Maria Carbone, Clara Petrella, Carla Gavazzi, Madga Olivero, Olivia Stapp, Virginia Zeani and even the mezzo Gianna Pederzini.
We are thrilled to announce that Mme. Virginai Zeani will be the guest of honor at our performance. Not heard in New York since 1977, Risurrezione is a magnificent score and Teatro Grattacielo is pleased to present this great work as our fifth annual Alice Tully Hall production in our continuing revivals of verismo masterpieces.