The cultural highlight in Pienza each Fall, at least for Carol and Roger, is the Pienza Opera Festival.
Now in its 11th season, the festival brings to town opera students from across Europe, each hoping to be “discovered” and launch their professional careers.
There were 64 entrants from 16 different countries on three continents.
The Preliminaries
For two days, the contestants performed before a panel of seven judges.
The judges came from opera companies in Germany, France, Belgium, and Italy.
Their job was to whittle the entrants down to the 16 who would perform in the finals.
Madame DuFarge sat in the audience through much of the preliminaries, knitting away on a pair of socks.
There were two people who didn’t get much recognition but deserve some.
Moira Johnson, our friend from Toronto, stage managed the event…shuffling schedules, assuaging the judges, and making the program run on schedule.
…And Paolo Andreoili, whose vast knowledge of the entire canon of classical opera allowed him to accompany scores of singers, as they sang well more than 100 different pieces from dozens of different operas.
The Finals
The preliminaries over, the festival moved on Saturday night from a rehearsal hall above the Pienza library to Chiesa San Francesco for the finals.
The church, built by Pope Pius II in the 15th century, boasted fragments of the original frescoes and better acoustics than the rehearsal hall.
The audience was a mix of local opera fans….
…proud parents of the contestants…
…and people from professional opera companies on the prowl for new talent.
There was no question, all the finalists could sing.
(Important Note: A 15th century stone church and a cellphone recording of music are not conducive to high fidelity audio.)
But opera is as much acting as singing, so the judges were looking for people who could express the emotion the composer and librettist intended.
It’s also a matter of stage presence. (Note how the judge sitting in front of the singer reacts to his body language.)
As the program wound down to the last few, there were several performances that stood out.
With the arias concluded, the judges adjourned to determine who would get auditions with several opera companies and who would receive stipends to further their music careers.
The contestants didn’t wait around idly for the results. Please note in the video below, these performers are students who have never performed this number together before. it’s Verdi’s rousing “Libiam Ne Lieti Calcici” from “La Traviata.” In English, it’s commonly know as, “The Toast.” They’re winging it and having a great time.
The best part is, one night next July these singers will reunite to stage their first professional opera…outdoors, on the steps of the Pienza Cathedral.