Xabier Anduaga, Jessica Pratt, Giacomo Sagripanti, Andrzej Filończyk and Manuel Fuentes. /
The president of the ABAO appeals for “confidence” at the start of the season that will offer ‘I Puritani’ with Jessica Pratt and Xabier Anduaga
The ABAO kicks off the season this Saturday at the Euskalduna with ‘I Puritani’ (The Puritans), by Vincenzo Bellini, an opera set in the English Civil War of the 17th century, although ultimately the plot has little historical drama and a lot of soap opera The cast, led by soprano Jessica Pratt and tenor Xabier Anduaga, will be backed by Euskadiko Orkestra under Giacomo Sagripanti. The staging has the stage stamp of Emilio Sagi, a guarantee of elegance and respect for the score. Wickers all of them that promise a lot of spectacle.
That yes, beyond the quality of the representations, the fundamental thing is that “there is trust and support from all, we are a cultural initiative that needs an efficient public-private collaboration and with a long-term vision,” he stressed this Tuesday at a press conference Juan Carlos Matellanes, president of the ABAO. The pandemic has caused the loss of more than 700 members and currently there are only around 3,200. Very far from the more than 5,000 that the lyrical entity had in the 90s.
Matellanes especially appealed to the complicity of the fans because “there is no project, however efficient it may be, that is maintained over time if it is not decisively supported.” Along these lines, he stressed that the ABAO’s offer is not addressed to “an elite or a minority.” His goal has always been to fill the capacity without marginalizing anyone. The five titles of the season, with 21 performances, could ideally have an audience of around 45,000 people. The board of directors aspires to hang the ‘no tickets’ sign at each representation, which is why they have opted for ‘I Puritani’ to start with strength.
Bellini’s opera recreates the confrontation between the Protestant Puritans who followed Cromwell and the Catholics related to the Stuart saga. There is passion, jealousy, a terrible misunderstanding and madness. And best of all: the famous Bellinian melodies, extremely long and beautiful, that demand from the singer a phrasing of such voluptuousness and expressiveness that they seem to break the seams of the music.
“It is a masterpiece of bel canto that we will present as it deserves”, highlighted Cesidio Niño, artistic director of the ABAO. In an opera like ‘I Puritani’ you have to avoid overloaded staging. Emilio Sagi’s staging – a co-production of the Teatro Real and the Municipal Theater of Santiago de Chile – is highly symbolic and even surreal, with scenes of great visual impact, either because of the play of 28 chandeliers at key moments or the impression of a Chinese shadow behind a curtain.
For his part, Giacomo Sagripanti will also assert his good taste at the head of the Euskadiko Orkestra. A few weeks ago he directed this same opera in concert version in Naples with the thriving San Sebastian tenor Xabier Anduaga and now they hope to sweep the audience once again. “We will offer the critical edition, with fragments that are not usually interpreted,” explained the director. In the cast, the youth of the male protagonists is striking. Neither Anduaga, nor the Polish baritone Andrzej Filończyk, nor the bass from Alicante Manuel Fuentes reach 28 years of age.
chemistry between the two
The veteran stripes correspond to the soprano Jessica Pratt, 43, an internationally acclaimed artist and much loved by the Bilbao public. “This is the fourth time I’ve sung the critical edition of ‘I Puritani’ and I feel very comfortable,” said the Australian singer with a smile. Pratt’s poise and good humor act as a balm in rehearsals, something very necessary in this type of opera, where each mistake is oversized. ‘I Puritani’ is a devilish work, with stratospheric notes, a lot of vocal virtuosity (especially in her case) that demands a fiato (breath) without any fissure, at the level of a diving champion.
Pratt and Anduaga have recently performed at opera galas and there is chemistry between them. Now is the first time that they coincide in ‘I Puritani’ and they are willing to offer “a performance not to forget”, in the words of Cesidio Niño. Her experience and the overwhelming impetus of the Basque tenor are assets that play in her favour. Their voices blend perfectly and as professionals they are also in tune. Anduaga has already taken the baton from his illustrious predecessors. With a beautiful timbre, sumptuous phrasing and full-bodied voice, he has everything to continue burning stages in an ascending career.
A regular at Real and Liceu, his agenda is packed until 2028. «Singing at home means a lot. And also in a production like this, in which I find myself among friends. That is essential, that there is a good working environment. It is the best way to give the best of yourself. ‘I Puritani’ has spectacular music and the public is going to really enjoy it”, announced Anduaga with conviction.