Paolo Carignani wurde in Mailand geboren. Er studierte am dortigen Giuseppe Verdi-Konservatorium Komposition, Orgel und Klavier, später Dirigieren bei Alceo Galliera. Seine Engagements haben ihn an zahlreiche italienische Opernhäuser geführt sowie u. a. an die Staatsopern in Wien, Berlin und München, die Deutsche Oper Berlin, die Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam, das Royal Opera House in London, die Opéra Bastille in Paris, das Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, die Metropolitan Opera in New York und das Amsterdamer Concertgebouw, ausserdem nach Oslo, Brüssel, Antwerpen, Glyndebourne, Salzburg und Spoleto, zum Schleswig-Holstein und zum Rheingau Musik Festival sowie zum Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. Im Konzertbereich dirigierte er u.a. die Münchner Philharmoniker, die Symphonieorchester des NDR, WDR und ORF, die Göteborger Symphoniker, das Detroit Symphony Orchestra und das Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. Von 1999 bis 2008 war Paolo Carignani Generalmusikdirektor der Oper Frankfurt und künstlerischer Leiter des Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchesters. 2018/19 gab er sein Debüt an der Scala in Mailand mit Ali Baba e i 40 ladroni sowie am Bolschoi in Moskau mit Un ballo in maschera. In der Spielzeit 2020/21 dirigierte er am Maggio Musicale in Florenz Nabucco, am Royal Danish Opera House Simon Boccanegra sowie Don Carlo am Bolschoi in Moskau. 2021/22 übernahm er ausserdem die musikalische Leitung von u.a. Tosca und Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci am Opernhaus Zürich, von La bohème und Un ballo in maschera an der Royal Danish Opera und von Nabucco an der Wiener Staatsoper.
Giacomo Puccini
Melodrama in three acts
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
after Victorien Sardou
From 3. October 2021 until 17. October 2021
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Duration :
approx. 2 H. 35 Min. Inkl. Pause after 1st part after approx. 55 Min. -
Language:
In Italian with German and English surtitles. -
More information:
Introduction 45 min before the performance.
Paolo Carignani
Robert Carsen
Robert Carsen, born in Canada, is one of the world’s most sought-after directors, stage, and lighting designers for theater and opera. After training as an actor at York University in Toronto and at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, he achieved his first successes as a director at the operas in Geneva, Paris, and Antwerp. Since then, he has directed at the major stages of the world, including "Die tote Stadt" at the Komische Oper Berlin, "Der Rosenkavalier" and "Falstaff" at the Royal Opera House London and at the Metropolitan Opera New York, "Eugene Onegin" in Rome, "La traviata" at La Fenice in Venice, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" and "Rigoletto" at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, "Wozzeck," "Agrippina," and "Platée" at the Theater an der Wien, "Rinaldo" and "L’incoronazione di Poppea" in Glyndebourne, "Tannhäuser," "Elektra," "Rusalka," "Lohengrin," and "Manon Lescaut" at the Paris Opera, "Salome" and "Idomeneo" in Madrid, "Falstaff," "Don Giovanni," and "Alcina" at La Scala in Milan, as well as "Tosca," "Semele," and "Arabella" at the Opernhaus Zürich. He has also directed theater and musical productions, including "Singin’ in the Rain," "My Fair Lady," and "Candide" at the Théâtre du Châtelet, as well as the world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s "The Beautiful Game" in London’s West End. Robert Carsen has served as curator and scenographer at the Grand Palais, the Musée d’Orsay, and the Opéra Garnier, at the Royal Academy of Arts, the Art Institute of Chicago, and at the Cannes Film Festival. He is an "Officier des Arts et des Lettres" and "Officer of the Order of Canada," received the 2021 Opera Award as "Best Director," and in 2023 the first Grand Prix de l’Académie des beaux-arts in Paris.
Ernst Raffelsberger
Ernst Raffelsberger comes from Gmunden, Upper Austria. He studied music education and church music at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna as well as choral conducting at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. From 1983 to 1986 he was Kapellmeister of the Vienna Boys’ Choir. During this time, he led the ensemble in Vienna and on tours through Europe, South Africa, Canada, and the USA. From 1986, Ernst Raffelsberger was choral director and Kapellmeister at the Salzburg State Theatre (participating in the Salzburg Mozart Week and the Salzburg Festival). In 1989 he moved as choral director and Kapellmeister to the theatre in Freiburg/Breisgau. Since autumn 1993, Ernst Raffelsberger has been engaged at the Zurich Opera House as choral director. Here he has since supervised around 150 premieres and countless revivals and worked with many renowned conductors such as Marco Armiliato, Riccardo Chailly, Teodor Currentzis, Christoph von Dohnányi, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Daniele Gatti, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Zubin Mehta, Gianandrea Noseda, and Franz Welser-Möst. Guest performances with the Zurich Opera House have taken him to Vienna, London, Paris, and Tokyo. From summer 2012 he additionally began a ten-year activity as choral director of the Vienna State Opera Chorus Association at the Salzburg Festival. There he collaborated successfully with, among others, Riccardo Muti, Mariss Jansons, and Sir Simon Rattle. After Ernst Raffelsberger ended this work with the festival summer 2021, he has since 2025 once again been responsible, at Maestro Muti’s request, for choral preparation for his festival concerts in Salzburg. Numerous CD and DVD recordings document his work in Zurich as well as in Salzburg.
Cast
Sonya Yoncheva
The soprano Sonya Yoncheva comes from Bulgaria. She studied piano and singing in her hometown Plovdiv as well as in Geneva and is a graduate of the academy Le Jardin des Voix. In 2010 she won the first prize of Plácido Domingo’s Operalia Competition, in 2015 the ECHO Klassik as “Young Artist of the Year” and in 2021 the Opus Klassik as “Singer of the Year”. Her wide-ranging repertoire includes works from the Baroque period as well as roles such as Gilda (“Rigoletto”), Mimì (“La bohème”), Violetta (“La traviata”), Desdemona (“Otello”), Marguerite (“Faust”), Imogene (“Il pirata”) and the title roles in “Norma”, “Tosca” and “Luisa Miller”. She appears regularly on the world’s most important stages, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the State Operas in Berlin, Munich and Vienna, as well as the Opéra National de Paris and the Teatro Real in Madrid. At the Salzburg Festival she appeared as Poppea (“L’incoronazione di Poppea”) and in 2020 gave a concert evening at La Scala in Milan. Recent engagements include Lisa (“The Queen of Spades”) at the Metropolitan Opera, her Japan debut as Floria Tosca in Yokohama and Tokyo, as well as recitals and concert evenings in São Paulo, at the State Operas of Berlin and Vienna, at the Salzburg Mozart Week, in the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and in the Philharmonie de Paris. Since 2020 she has also been active as a producer. Under her label SY11 Productions, her solo album “The Courtesan” (2023) and her book “Fifteen Reflections” have been released, as well as a concert series in Sofia. Sonya Yoncheva is an ambassador for UNICEF Bulgaria.
Joseph Calleja
Joseph Calleja wurde auf Malta geboren, wo er auch seine Gesangsausbildung absolvierte. Sein Debüt gab er 1997 am dortigen Astra Theatre als Macduff (Macbeth) und sang im selben Jahr Leicester (Maria Stuarda) an der Nationalen Reisopera in Holland. Ebenfalls 1997 war er Preisträger des Belvedere-Gesangswettbewerbs, ein Jahr später gewann er den Caruso-Wettbewerb und danach Placido Domingos Operalia. Mittlerweile gilt er als einer der wichtigsten Tenöre seiner Generation. Gastengagements führten ihn u.a. ans Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, an die Staatsopern in Wien, München, Hamburg und Dresden, an die Lyric Opera Chicago, zu den Salzburger Festspielen und an die Festivals in Spoleto und Pesaro. An der Met, wo er regelmässig gastiert, war er zuletzt in der Titelpartie von Faust, als Mario Cavaradossi (Tosca) und Rodolfo (La bohème) sowie in einem Konzert zusammen mit Diana Damrau zu erleben. Jüngst sang er ausserdem an der Staatsoper Hamburg Rodolfo (Luisa Miller), an der Deutschen Oper Berlin Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood (Lucia di Lammermoor), an der Bayerischen Staatsoper Don José (Carmen), an der Wiener Staatsoper den Herzog von Mantua (Rigoletto) und Cavaradossi, eine Partie mit der er zudem beim Festival d’Aix en Provence und in Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona gastierte. Liederabende und Konzerte führten ihn 2020/21 an die Opera Australia in Sydney, ans Opera Naples Festival in Florida und an die Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Thomas Johannes Mayer
Thomas Johannes Mayer absolvierte seine Gesangsausbildung an der Kölner Musikhochschule bei Liselotte Hammes und Kurt Moll. Nach einem vielbeachteten Don Giovanni am Theater Basel sang er 2004 seinen ersten Wotan (Der Ring des Nibelungen) in Karlsruhe – eine Partie, die er seither an den grossen internationalen Opernhäusern verkörperte: De Nederlands Opera Amsterdam, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Berliner Staatsoper unter den Linden, Bayerische Staatsoper München, Opéra National de Paris, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayreuther Festspiele und in Tokio. Zu seinem Repertoire gehören nicht nur die grossen Wagner- und Strausspartien wie Barak (Die Frau ohne Schatten), Jochanaan, Mandryka (Arabella), Amfortas (Parsifal), Telramund (Lohengrin), und die Titelrolle in Der fliegende Holländer, sondern auch Partien des italienischen Fachs sowie Moses in Schönbergs Moses und Aron, Thoas in Glucks Iphigénie en Tauride, Mizguir in Rimski-Korsakows Schneeflöckchen und die Titelpartie in Alban Bergs Wozzeck. In der Spielzeit 2020/21 sang er Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde) bei den Weinviertler Festspielen in Tschechien, Don Pizarro (Fidelio) an der Oper Kopenhagen, Telramund und den Holländer an der Deutschen Oper Berlin sowie Jochanaan (Salome) am Bolschoi Theater in Moskau.
Stanislav Vorobyov
Stanislav Vorobyov comes from Russia and studied at the Moscow Conservatory. He was a member of the International Opera Studio and has been an ensemble member at the Zurich Opera House since the 2018/19 season. Here he has appeared, among others, as Colline ("La bohème"), Alidoro ("La Cenerentola"), High Priest ("Nabucco"), Notary ("Der Rosenkavalier"), Reinmar von Zweter ("Tannhäuser"), Faust ("The Fiery Angel"), Zaretsky ("Eugene Onegin"), Cesare Angelotti ("Tosca"), Fifth Jew and 1st Nazarene ("Salome"), Lord Rochefort ("Anna Bolena"), Doctor Grenvil ("La traviata"), Crébillon ("La rondine"), Zuniga ("Carmen"), Roberto ("I vespri siciliani"), Roucher ("Andrea Chénier"), Police Commissioner ("Der Rosenkavalier"), Marchese Calatrava ("La forza del destino"), Tom ("Un ballo in maschera"), Brühlmann ("Werther"), as well as Faust ("The Fiery Angel"), Gold Dealer ("Cardillac") and Méphistophélès ("La Damnation de Faust"). In addition, he sang Don Basilio ("Il barbiere di Siviglia") at the Bregenz Festival, Nourabad ("Les Pêcheurs de perles") at Opera Flanders and in Luxembourg, as well as Ombra di Nino ("Semiramide") at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. At the Bregenz Festival he appeared as Uncle Bonzo in "Madama Butterfly" and as Il capitano/L’ispettore in Giordano’s "Siberia". In 2024, he also appeared as Colline ("La bohème") at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater and at the ROHM Theatre Kyoto.
Valeriy Murga
Bass Valeriy Murga studied at the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kyiv. He was a finalist at both the 41st International Singing Competition in Toulouse (1996) and the 7th Julian Gayarre Competition in Pamplona (1998). In 1997, he won second prize at the Maria Callas Grand Prix in Athens and participated in the Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 1999. From 1997 to 1999, he was a soloist at the Ukrainian National Opera in Kyiv, where he performed roles including Figaro (“Le nozze di Figaro”), Escamillo (“Carmen”), Schaunard (“La bohème”), and the title roles in “Eugene Onegin,” “Don Giovanni,” and “Prince Igor.” His repertoire also includes the roles of Marchese di Posa (“Don Carlo”) and Shaklovity (“Khovanshchina”). At the Zürich Opera House, Valeriy Murga was initially a member of the International Opera Studio and during this time performed, among others, Sciarrone and the Jailor (“Tosca”) as well as Monterone (“Rigoletto”). Since the 2000/01 season, he has been a permanent ensemble member at the Zürich Opera House, where he has performed roles such as Prince Yeletsky (“The Queen of Spades”), Moralès (“Carmen”), Second Soldier (“Salome”), Alessio (“La sonnambula”), Ali (“L’italiana in Algeri”), Wagner (“Faust”), Sacristan (“Tosca”), Butler (“La rondine”), and Bogdanovich (“The Merry Widow”), as well as in family operas including “The Canterville Ghost,” “Robin Hood,” “The Enchanted Pig,” “Jim Knopf,” and “Wir pfeiffen auf den Gurkenkönig” He has also appeared as a guest in Eugen d’Albert’s “Tiefland” at the Liceu in Barcelona and in “L’italiana in Algeri” at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin.
Martin Zysset
Martin Zysset was born and raised in Solothurn. He trained in clarinet while simultaneously pursuing vocal studies, which he complemented with masterclasses with Ernst Haefliger and Edith Mathis. In 1990/91, he was a member of the International Opera Studio at the Zurich Opera House and at the same time a scholarship recipient from the Migros Cooperative Union as well as a prizewinner in the Pro Arte Lyrica Competition in Lausanne. Since 1992, he has been a regular guest at the Summer Festival in Selzach. He has been permanently engaged at the Zurich Opera House since 1991. Here, he has developed a broad repertoire of both buffo and dramatic roles, including Pedrillo, Monostatos, Spoletta, Incredibile ("Andrea Chénier"), Jaquino, Kudryash ("Káťa Kabanová"), Alfred ("Die Fledermaus"), Tamino, Tybalt, Dancaïro, Arturo, Knusperhexe, Brighella, as well as the male lead in Udo Zimmermann’s "Weiße Rose." He performed Simplicius in the operetta of the same name by Johann Strauss, which was also released on CD and DVD. Guest appearances have taken him across Europe, to Shanghai, and with "The Magic Flute," "Le nozze di Figaro," "Fidelio," and "Tannhäuser" to San Diego. For the Bayerischer Rundfunk, he recorded the Lehár operetta "Paganini." In Zurich, he has most recently sung roles including Don Basilio ("Le nozze di Figaro"), Tschekalinski ("Pique Dame"), Triquet ("Eugene Onegin"), the Chief Eunuch ("The Land of Smiles"), Goro ("Madama Butterfly"), Spoletta ("Tosca"), Dormont ("La scala di seta"), the White Minister ("Le Grand Macabre"), the Devil/Narrator ("The Soldier’s Tale"), the Third Jew ("Salome"), Schmidt ("Werther"), Feri ("Die Csárdásfürstin"), and Don Curzio ("Le nozze di Figaro").
Benjamin Molonfalean
Benjamin Avram Molonfalean, Bassbariton, wurde in Rumänien geboren. Sein Musikstudium schloss er an der Königlich Dänischen Musikakademie in Kopenhagen ab. Während seines Studiums sang er u.a. den Förster in Janáčeks Das schlaue Füchslein und die Titelpartie in Le nozze di Figaro. 2015 nahm Benjamin Molonfalean an Meisterkursen von Constance Fee und Gabor Bretz am Crescendo Summer Institute in Tokaj (Ungarn) teil. 2017 debütierte er an der Århus Sommeropera in der Oper Darwin von Niels Marthinsen. 2018 sang er in Rossinis Petite Messe solennelle in der Domkirche in Maribo (Dänemark) sowie 2019 die Titelrolle in Don Pasquale an der Opera Prima in Wien. Seit der Spielzeit 2021/22 ist er Mitglied des Internationalen Opernstudios Zürich und war hier bisher in Tosca, Le Comte Ory und in Dialogues des Carmélites zu erleben.
Photo Gallery "Tosca"
