Teatro Grattacielo
Encyclopedia
Teatro Grattacielo is a professional opera company based in New York City
specializing in concert performances of rarely heard verismo
operas. The company's past performances have included the North American premieres of Mascagni
's Il piccolo Marat
and Riccardo Zandonai
's I cavalieri di Ekebù
and La farsa amorosa
. Its name means "Skyscraper Theatre" in Italian
, a reference not only to the New York skyline but also to the Teatro Grattacielo in Genoa
, a cinema which was the city's temporary opera house while the Teatro Carlo Felice
was rebuilt after extensive damage in World War II.
and voice teacher, Duane Printz, who remains its Executive and Artistic Director. The company gave its first performance in 1997 – Italo Montemezzi
's L'amore dei tre re
. Most of its performances have taken place in the Alice Tully Hall
, although other venues were used while the hall underwent renovation between 2006 and 2009.
Since 2006, the company's Music Director has been the British-American conductor David Wroe, who is also the Music Director of Westfield Symphony Orchestra. The founder and former music director of the Kansas City Camerata, Wroe has also been a regular conductor at New York City Opera
as well as a guest conductor of the New York University
orchestra.. Teatro Grattacielo's Honorary Director is Jolanda Tarquinia Zandonai, the daughter of composer Riccardo Zandonai
. Notable singers who have appeared with the company include Lando Bartolini
(who sang Giannetto in La cena delle beffe
and the title role in Guglielmo Ratcliff
) and Aprile Millo
(who sang the title role in Zazà
). Bartolini also serves on the company's Advisory Board.
On May 24, 2011 the company will perform Umberto Giordano
's last opera, Il Re (1929), as well as I Compagnacci (1923) of composer Primo Riccitelli
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
specializing in concert performances of rarely heard verismo
Verismo
Verismo was an Italian literary movement which peaked between approximately 1875 and the early 1900s....
operas. The company's past performances have included the North American premieres of Mascagni
Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
's Il piccolo Marat
Il piccolo Marat
Il piccolo Marat is a dramma lirico or opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni, 1921, from a libretto by Giovacchino Forzano.-Performance history:...
and Riccardo Zandonai
Riccardo Zandonai
Riccardo Zandonai was an Italian composer.-Biography:Zandonai was born in Borgo Sacco, Rovereto, then part of Austria–Hungary....
's I cavalieri di Ekebù
I cavalieri di Ekebù
I Cavalieri di Ekebù is an opera composed by Riccardo Zandonai to an Italian libretto by Arturo Rossato. The opera is based on Gösta Berlings Saga by Nobel laureate Selma Lagerlöf. It was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy on 7 March 1925.-Roles:-Sources:**...
and La farsa amorosa
La farsa amorosa
La farsa amorosa is an opera in three acts by Italian composer Riccardo Zandonai.The opera is on a comic subject, and was an attempt to revitalize the opera buffa tradition which flourished in Italy during the 18th and early 19th centuries....
. Its name means "Skyscraper Theatre" in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, a reference not only to the New York skyline but also to the Teatro Grattacielo in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, a cinema which was the city's temporary opera house while the Teatro Carlo Felice
Teatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the Piazza De Ferrari....
was rebuilt after extensive damage in World War II.
Company history
Teatro Grattacielo was founded in 1994 by the former sopranoSoprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and voice teacher, Duane Printz, who remains its Executive and Artistic Director. The company gave its first performance in 1997 – Italo Montemezzi
Italo Montemezzi
Italo Montemezzi was an Italian composer. He is best known for his opera L'amore dei tre re , once part of the standard repertoire....
's L'amore dei tre re
L'amore dei tre re
L'amore dei tre re is an opera in three acts by Italo Montemezzi. Its Italian-language libretto was written by playwright Sem Benelli who based it on his own play of the same title.-Performance history:...
. Most of its performances have taken place in the Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. It is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assisted in the construction of the hall...
, although other venues were used while the hall underwent renovation between 2006 and 2009.
Since 2006, the company's Music Director has been the British-American conductor David Wroe, who is also the Music Director of Westfield Symphony Orchestra. The founder and former music director of the Kansas City Camerata, Wroe has also been a regular conductor at New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
as well as a guest conductor of the New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
orchestra.. Teatro Grattacielo's Honorary Director is Jolanda Tarquinia Zandonai, the daughter of composer Riccardo Zandonai
Riccardo Zandonai
Riccardo Zandonai was an Italian composer.-Biography:Zandonai was born in Borgo Sacco, Rovereto, then part of Austria–Hungary....
. Notable singers who have appeared with the company include Lando Bartolini
Lando Bartolini
Lando Bartolini is an Italian tenor.He studied at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia after winning the Mario Lanza Award in 1968...
(who sang Giannetto in La cena delle beffe
La cena delle beffe
La cena delle beffe is an opera in four acts composed by Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Sem Benelli adapted from his play of the same name...
and the title role in Guglielmo Ratcliff
Guglielmo Ratcliff
Guglielmo Ratcliff is a tragic opera in four acts by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Andrea Maffei, translated from the German play Wilhelm Ratcliff by Heinrich Heine...
) and Aprile Millo
Aprile Millo
Aprile Millo is an American operatic soprano of Italian and Irish ancestry who is particularly admired for her interpretations of the works of Giuseppe Verdi. Possessing a spinto voice of power, warmth and temperament, Millo became one of the most celebrated opera singers of the late twentieth...
(who sang the title role in Zazà
Zazà
Zazà is an opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo, with the libretto by the composer. Its première at the Teatro Lirico di Milano on November 10, 1900, starring Rosina Storchio as Zazà, Edoardo Garbin as Milio, Mario Sammarco as Cascart and Clorinda Pini-Corsi as Anaïde, and conducted by Arturo Toscanini,...
). Bartolini also serves on the company's Advisory Board.
On May 24, 2011 the company will perform Umberto Giordano
Umberto Giordano
Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano was an Italian composer, mainly of operas.He was born in Foggia in Puglia, southern Italy, and studied under Paolo Serrao at the Conservatoire of Naples...
's last opera, Il Re (1929), as well as I Compagnacci (1923) of composer Primo Riccitelli
Primo Riccitelli
Primo Riccitelli , was an Italian composer.One of six children, he was born in the village of Cognoli, Campli in the Abruzzo Region of Italy. His father, Giuseppe, was a small land owner and his mother, Maria Maiaroli, a homemaker. The one-day old infant was baptized at the local parish hall of...
.
Past performances
- L'amore dei tre reL'amore dei tre reL'amore dei tre re is an opera in three acts by Italo Montemezzi. Its Italian-language libretto was written by playwright Sem Benelli who based it on his own play of the same title.-Performance history:...
(Italo MontemezziItalo MontemezziItalo Montemezzi was an Italian composer. He is best known for his opera L'amore dei tre re , once part of the standard repertoire....
) 26 March 1997 - IrisIris (opera)Iris is an opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni to an original Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. Its first performance was at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 22 November 1898.The opera is through-composed and set in Japan during legendary times...
, (Pietro MascagniPietro MascagniPietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
) 23 November 1998 - L'arlesianaL'arlesianaL'arlesiana is an opera in three acts by Francesco Cilea to an Italian libretto by Leopoldo Marenco. It was originally written in four acts, and was first performed on 27 November 1897 at the Teatro Lirico di Milano in Milan...
(Francesco CilèaFrancesco CileaFrancesco Cilea was an Italian composer. Today he is particularly known for his operas L'arlesiana and Adriana Lecouvreur.-Biography:...
) 15 November 1999 - I cavalieri di EkebùI cavalieri di EkebùI Cavalieri di Ekebù is an opera composed by Riccardo Zandonai to an Italian libretto by Arturo Rossato. The opera is based on Gösta Berlings Saga by Nobel laureate Selma Lagerlöf. It was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy on 7 March 1925.-Roles:-Sources:**...
(Riccardo ZandonaiRiccardo ZandonaiRiccardo Zandonai was an Italian composer.-Biography:Zandonai was born in Borgo Sacco, Rovereto, then part of Austria–Hungary....
) 20 November 2000 – North American premiere - RisurrezioneRisurrezioneRisurrezione , is an opera or dramma in four acts by Franco Alfano. The libretto was written by Cesare Hanau based on the novel "Resurrection" by Leo Tolstoy...
(Franco AlfanoFranco AlfanoFranco Alfano was an Italian composer and pianist. Best known today for his opera Risurrezione and above all for having completed Puccini's opera Turandot in 1926. He had considerable success with several of his own works during his lifetime.- Biography :He was born in Posillipo, Naples...
) 30 November 2001 - La WallyLa WallyLa Wally is a four-act opera by Alfredo Catalani, composed on a libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed at La Scala, Milan on 20 January 1892....
(Alfredo CatalaniAlfredo CatalaniAlfredo Catalani was an Italian operatic composer. He is best remembered for his operas Loreley and La Wally...
) 18 November 2002 - Guglielmo RatcliffGuglielmo RatcliffGuglielmo Ratcliff is a tragic opera in four acts by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Andrea Maffei, translated from the German play Wilhelm Ratcliff by Heinrich Heine...
(Pietro Mascagni) 25 November 2003 - La cena delle beffeLa cena delle beffeLa cena delle beffe is an opera in four acts composed by Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Sem Benelli adapted from his play of the same name...
(Umberto GiordanoUmberto GiordanoUmberto Menotti Maria Giordano was an Italian composer, mainly of operas.He was born in Foggia in Puglia, southern Italy, and studied under Paolo Serrao at the Conservatoire of Naples...
) 20 November 2004 - ZazàZazàZazà is an opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo, with the libretto by the composer. Its première at the Teatro Lirico di Milano on November 10, 1900, starring Rosina Storchio as Zazà, Edoardo Garbin as Milio, Mario Sammarco as Cascart and Clorinda Pini-Corsi as Anaïde, and conducted by Arturo Toscanini,...
(Ruggero LeoncavalloRuggero LeoncavalloRuggero Leoncavallo was an Italian opera composer. His two-act work Pagliacci remains one of the most popular works in the repertory, appearing as number 20 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide.-Biography:...
) 12 November 2005 - La farsa amorosaLa farsa amorosaLa farsa amorosa is an opera in three acts by Italian composer Riccardo Zandonai.The opera is on a comic subject, and was an attempt to revitalize the opera buffa tradition which flourished in Italy during the 18th and early 19th centuries....
(Riccardo Zandonai) 11 November 2006 – North American premiere - L'incantesimoL'incantesimoL'incantesimo is a short opera in one act by Italian composer Italo Montemezzi. Its libretto was written by playwright Sem Benelli who had previously collaborated with the composer on his most famous opera, L'amore dei tre re...
(Italo Montemezzi) and L'oracolo (Franco LeoniFranco LeoniFranco Leoni was an Italian opera composer. After training in Milan, he made most of his career in England, composing for Covent Garden and West End theatres. He is best known for the opera L'Oracolo, written for Covent Garden but taken up successfully by the Metropolitan Opera in New York...
) 13 November 2007 - Il piccolo MaratIl piccolo MaratIl piccolo Marat is a dramma lirico or opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni, 1921, from a libretto by Giovacchino Forzano.-Performance history:...
(Pietro MascagniPietro MascagniPietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
) 13 April 2009 – North American premiere - I gioielli della MadonnaI gioielli della MadonnaI gioielli della Madonna is an opera in three acts by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari to an Italian libretto by Carlo Zangarini and Enrico Golisciani, based on news accounts of a real event....
(Ermanno Wolf-FerrariErmanno Wolf-FerrariErmanno Wolf-Ferrari was an Italian composer and teacher. He is best known for his comic operas such as Il segreto di Susanna...
) 24 May 2010
Sources
- Crory, Neil, "Teatro Grattacielo", Opera CanadaOpera Canada- Citations :-External links:****...
, 22 March 2002. Accessed via subscription 24 February 2010. - Davis, Peter G., "Teatro Grattacielo", New York Magazine, 6 December 1999. Accessed 24 February 2010.
- Midgette, Anne, "How Renaissance Folks Kept Busy of an Evening", New York Times, 25 November 2004. Accessed 24 February 2010.
- Schweitzer, Vivien, "Sorcery, Lust, Chinatown and Opium: It’s All Opera", New York Times, 15 November 2007. Accessed 24 February 2010.
- Smith, Steve, "La Farsa Amorosa, Alice Tully Hall", New York Times, 14 November 2006. Accessed 24 February 2010.
- Tommasini, Anthony, "A Forgotten Monument To Carousing And Clanging", New York Times, 23 November 2000. Accessed 24 February 2010.
- Tommasini, Anthony, "Keeping It Real: Rescuing Forgotten Verismo", New York Times, 9 April 2009
- Westfield Symphony Orchestra, About David Wroe, Music Director and Conductor. Accessed 24 February 2010.