Finally…I have been able to update my schedule on the website.  A couple of new things for next year, but a lot of things for future years.  Hope to see you somewhere, sometime!

Just a quick update.  We will open Semiramide on Friday evening here in Naples..surprise!!  We have a wonderful Semiramide, Laura Aikin who brings a great dramatic command to the part.  Silvia Tro Santafe as Arsace and Simone Alberghini as Assur round out an excellent cast led by Gabriele Ferro in the pit.  Luca Ronconi’s new production will be a fitting opening night treat.  This will mark my return to Idreno, the part that got me started as a true Rossini singer in Pesaro in 1992.  It’s been about 6 years since I’ve sung this role and I am every excited to sing it again, especially here at the San Carlo in front of such a great public.  Opening night will be broadcast on RAI Radio3 on Friday evening beginning at 19:00 CET (1:00 pm EST).

Here’s the link if you’re interested:  http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/popup/player_radio.html?v=3

Enjoy!!

Just finishing here with the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome tonight with our last concert of Matteo D’Amico’s Veni, veni Mephostophilis and Liszt’s A Faust Symphony.  The D’Amico piece was great fun.  It’s a wonderfully dramatic and very singable piece.  The Liszt was not much to do, but it was a great pleasure to do it with such a great orchestra, choir and of course, Antonio Pappano whom I’ve known since our days at Lyric Opera of Chicago in the 8o’s but never got a chance to work with as a conductor.  He’s fantastic!

Back to Naples tomorrow to re-start rehearsals for Semiramide, now with Laura Akin as Semiramide.  We open on the 18th and I will sing just that one and the next on the 20th.  Then home for Thanksgiving.  Whew!  Watch for some fun video postings and schedule updates in the next few days.  Ciao…

I am soooooo looking forward to it!

More to come.….

Ciaoooooo!

Greg

It’s been almost 3 weeks since my last performance of Vespri in Torino and more than a month since my last post.  I’ve been quite busy since then. On April 3rd, we had a very emotional performance of Bellini’s Norma in Catania which was a benefit for a wonderful charity that raises money for families that have children with blood diseases. These funds are used to help the families with the expenses they incur while their loved one undergoes treatment in-hospital. The performance was an huge success as well as the fundraising!  God Bless Rosalba and her wonderful team!

I was then able to be home for 10 days to spend some much needed time with my family and to have a couple of rehearsals with the Gregory Kunde Chorale. I’m happy to report that all is well on both fronts.

I’m in Lima, Peru now to perform the Verdi Requiem on Wednesday and Friday evening. It is a beautiful city with a great theatre (Teatro Municipal de Lima) that we will actually re-inaugurate with these performances. The theatre burned down in 1998 and it has taken a while to restore. Let me say that the reconstruction has been a fantastic success! They have a bit more work to do, but all in all, the city should once again be very proud of this magnificent structure. I look forward to Wednesday evening.

I’m off for home on Saturday of this week and then back to Naples, Italy for Verdi’s Les Vepres Sicilienne on Tuesday.

I hope you have a chance to look at the schedule on the website.  There are quite a few additions since the last post.  Most notably next April a return to Brussels for concerts of Rossini’s Otello with Anna Caterina Antonacci as Desdemona and in June a return to Torino for Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera. Also another exciting thing…this September, I return to Bergamo to sing in Gemma di Vergy with Maria Agresta (my Elena in last months Torino Vespri) as Gemma and then in October to make my European conducting debut (!!!) in Maria di Rohan with Majella Cullagh as Maria.  Cool, eh?

I’m still learning how to do the photo thing so, as soon as I’m capable we’ll have some new photos. Keep watching!

Greg

Please forgive me for the self-promotion as it’s really not intended that way.  I just wanted to post a clip of last Friday’s broadcast for those of you who were not able to receive the stream on the internet.  This is the aria “Giorno di Pianto” from the beginning of the 4th act of Verdi’s I Vespri Siciliani.  Sorry, the recitative before was left off of the clip.  Hopefully in a few more days, my friend, COLORATURAFAN will be posting more things.  For now, here’s 5 minutes of the 4 hour opera.  Click on the link below.

Enjoy!

Greg

Gregory Kunde, tenor

Orchestra del Teatro Regio Torino, Italy

Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

RAI Storia broadcast of 18 March, 2011