So war es mein Kuss,
der welthellsichtig dich machte?
Mein volles Liebesumfangen
lässt dich dann Gottheit erlangen.
Die Welt erlöse, ist dies dein Amt;
schuf dich zum Gott die Stunde,
für sie lass mich
ewig dann verdammt,
nie heile mir die Wunde!
Richard Wagner, Parsifal
Violeta Urmana sings La Gioconda in Paris
© Javier del Real
In May, Violeta Urmana will play the title role in Amilcare Ponchielli’s
La Gioconda at the Opéra Bastille in Paris. This complex and fascinating part is one she has sung many times on stage since her celebrated CD recording for EMI under Marcello Viotti.
“Her conception of this figure is highly personal: she underlines the tragic heroism and grief of the protagonist, rather than presenting her as a raging demon. Urmana is well able to bring out that aspect of Gioconda as well, but she does it with finesse, never with the ‘broad brush’ that we are used to. This is a true re-creation of a character whom we had grown accustomed to seeing from different perspectives. Remarkable”, wrote the Spanish opera magazine Ritmo after performances at the Teatro Real in Madrid in a production by Pier Luigi Pizzi.
It is this production, in which she enjoyed well-deserved acclaim in Madrid, that will now showcase Violeta Urmana in Paris. Daniel Oren directs the choir and orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris.
Performances: May 2, 7, 10, 13, 17, 20, 23, 26 and 31, 2013