Izmir Festival > Program > IN MEMORY OF GIACOMO PUCCINI ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH
Wednesday, June 24, 2024 • Izmir Historical Agora • 21.00
IN MEMORY OF GIACOMO PUCCINI ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH
Gesua Gallifoco, soprano
Giuseppe Infantino, tenor
Alessandro Zilioli, piano
GESUA GALLIFOCO, soprano
Gesua Gallifoco was born on December 24th, 1996 and is an Italian soprano. She studied at Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Como with M° Patrizia Patelmo and attended masterclasses held by Roberto Scandiuzzi, Roberto Servile, Mariella Devia, Davide Garattini, Henning Brockhaus, Patrizia Pace, Leone Magiera, and Jonathan Brandani.
She has won the “Luciano Pavarotti” special prize at the “Spiros Argiris” International
Competition, second prize at the “Luciano Neroni” International Competition, and first prize with a scholarship at the “Mario Orlandoni” Competition. She also won the role of Norina in the 9th “Fausto Ricci” International Competition and the role of Zerlina in the 73rd As.Li.Co. International Competition.
Gesua Gallifoco made her debut as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi (Director: Gianmaria Aliverta), and later appeared as Adina (L’elisir d’amore) with the OperaDomani project at the Teatro Regio of Parma, Teatro Alighieri of Ravenna, and Teatro Arcimboldi of Milano under the baton of Azzurra Steri and directed by Manuel Renga.
She reprised the role of Adina at the Rapallo Opera Festival (D:Henning Brockhaus).
In September 2020 she played Maria Rosaria in Napoli Milionaria by Nino Rota at the Teatro del Giglio of Lucca, Teatro Verdi of Pisa and Teatro Goldoni of Livorno with Jonathan Brandani conducting.
In January 2022 she performed as Sophie (Werther) at the Teatro Verdi of Pisa and in March she made her debut as Norina (Don Pasquale) for Opera Etruria.
July and October 2022 saw her as Zerlina (Don Giovanni) at the Teatro Comunale of Ferrara with Daniel Smith conducting for Opera Lombardia.
In July 2023 Gesua made her debut as Susanna in le Nozze di Figaro at the Teatro Comunale of Ferrara.
November 2023 marked her debut as Gilda in Rigoletto in South Korea with the
Honam Opera Company, and in February 2024 she debuted as Musetta in La Bohème with the Conductor Gianluca Marcianò and Danilo Coppola directing.
GIUSEPPE INFANTINO, tenor
Giuseppe Michelangelo Infantino was born in Leverkusen (Germany) in 1994. In 2008, he embarked on piano studies and later pursued training in opera singing, completing his academic journey with top honors, graduating with a score of 110 cum laude and receiving an honourable mention.
He won 2nd prize at the 5th W. A. Mozart Piano Competition in Mazara del Vallo and the special award for Best Tenor from the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation at the 6th Marcello Giordani International Singing Competition. Additionally, he emerged as the winner of the 2021 edition of the Etta e Paolo Limiti contest, the XVI Giuseppe Di Stefano Opera Competition, and the Vocal & Opera competition in 2022.
Infantino made his debut as Rinuccio in G. Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi at the Teatro del Giglio (Lucca), Teatro Dante Alighieri (Ravenna), Teatro Comunale di Sassari, and Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan. He portrayed the Messenger in G. Verdi’s Aida at the Luglio Musicale Trapanese and debuted as Nemorino in G. Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore at Opera Pienza. He performed as Lord Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Teatro Galli in Rimini and debuted as Edmondo in G. Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, conducted by Maestro Donato Renzetti and directed by Davide Livermore. He recently debuted as the Duke of Mantua in G. Verdi’s Rigoletto in Bologna and as Alfredo in G. Verdi’s La Traviata with the Amici della Lirica di Piacenza.
He also has an intensive concert schedule, performing at venues such as the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Teatro Greco in Segesta (TP), and the Teatro Giuseppe Di Stefano in Trapani; in Verona he collaborates with the European Organ Festival, in Florence with the Erasmus Orchestra, and in Milan with the Associazione Amici del Loggione del Teatro Alla Scala. He has also performed at the Teatro Asioli in Correggio - during the Pavarotti d’Oro award to tenor Francesco Meli - and in Moscow (Russia) for the Italian Cultural Institute, as part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of tenor Enrico Caruso’s death, in collaboration with the Teatro Alla Scala di
Milano.
Infantino has often performed for tribute events organized by the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation, in prestigious venues in Turin, Ferrara, Merano, Bologna, Modena, and Jakarta (Indonesia) as often as at the Casa Museo Luciano Pavarotti. He has been invited to participate at the last four events of the Luciano Pavarotti Memorial, marking the anniversary of the Maestro’s passing.
He has performed roles such as Edmondo in Manon Lescaut at the Teatro Lirico Cagliari, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi for the Marialisa De Carolis Concert Organization in Sassari, and has been a soloist in concerts in memory of Tenor Luciano Pavarotti in Busan (South Korea) and Tokyo (Japan). He reprised the role of the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto for the theatres of Budrio,
Imola and Sofia (Bulgaria) at the end of 2022, and also debuted as Rodolfo in G. Puccini’s La Bohème in Sofia. Then, on February 10, 2023, he was a soloist in a concert at the Opéra Bastille in Paris.
He has recently performed as a soloist at the Teatro Verdi in Florence for the New Year’s concert on January 1, 2024. He also reprised the role of Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Theatres of Budrio, Bologna, and Milan, at the Teatro Coccia in Novara, and the Teatro Sociale in Rovigo. Infantino made his debuts in Nozze Istriane by A. Smareglia for the Illica Festival, as Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore at the Teatro Comunale Pavarotti - Freni in Modena, and as Pinkerton in G. Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Magnani in Fidenza.
He will reprise the role of Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Teatro di Taranto with the Orchestra della Magna Grecia. He is also scheduled to sing at the Teatro Regio in Turin in “Manon Lescaut” and will perform as Pinkerton for the season’s opening at the Teatro delle Muse in Ancona.
Giuseppe continues to refine his skills and has participated in a masterclass with M. Leone Magiera and studies under Ms. Raina Kabaivanska’s tuition.
Email: infantinogmb@gmail.com
ALESSANDRO ZILIOLI, piano
Alessandro Zilioli was born in Brescia (Italy) on 21st February 1996.
In 2007 he began his studies at the Conservatory "Luca Marenzio" of Brescia with Prof. Mario Boselli, where he was awarded his Diploma in Piano in 2016 with honours and 100% top marks.
In 2018 he was admitted to M° Riccardo Zadra's class at the Conservatory "Arrigo Pedrollo" in Vicenza, earning his Masters Degree in Piano in 2020 – again with with distinction and an honourable mention for another perfect score.
Ziloli has attended masterclasses and piano specialisation courses with Paolo Bordoni, Aldo Ciccolini, Filippo Gamba, Francesco Libetta, Enrico Stellini, Genny Basso and Roberto Cappello.
In 2020 he was accepted as a student on the course for Repetiteurs at the Accademia del Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, where he specialised as a Repetiteur with Richard Barker, Raffele Cortesi, Michele D'Elia, Matteo Pais. He has accompanied singing masterclasses with Bruno De Simone, Eva Mei, Luca Salsi, Vincenzo Spatola, and Tatiana Chivarova, and has also collaborated with important institutions such as the Festival Donizetti Opera of Bergamo and the Ópera of Tenerife.
Since 2018, Ziloli has been working with the Teatro Grande in Brescia as a repetiteur for the following productions:
- "Tosca" by Giacomo Puccini (Teatro Grande in Brescia, conducted by Valerio Galli and directed by Andrea Cigni, 2018);
- "L'Heure espagnole" by Maurice Ravel (Teatro Grande in Brescia, conducted by Sergio Alapont and directed by Carmelo Rifici, 2019);
- "Gianni Schicchi" by Giacomo Puccini (Teatro Grande of Brescia, conducted by Sergio Alapont and directed by Carmelo Rifici, 2019);
- "La Fanciulla del West" by Giacomo Puccini (Teatro Grande in Brescia, conducted by Valerio Galli and directed by Andrea Cigni, 2021);
- "La Fille du Régiment" by Gaetano Donizetti (Festival Donizetti Opera, Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo, conducted by Michele Spotti and directed by Luis Ernesto Doñas, 2021), also Pianist on stage;
- "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" by Jacques Offenbach (Ópera de Tenerife, conducted by Rubén Díez and directed by Raúl Vázquez, 2022);
- "The Medium" by Giancarlo Menotti (Teatro Grande in Brescia, conducted by Alberto
Zanardi and directed by Luca Baracchini, 2022), also Orchestra Member;
- "Norma" by Vincenzo Bellini (Teatro Grande in Brescia, conducted by Alessandro Bonato and directed by Elena Barbalich, 2022);
- "L'ajo nell'imbarazzo" by Gaetano Donizetti (Festival Donizetti Opera, Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo, conducted by Vincenzo Milletarì and directed by Francesco Micheli, 2022);
- "Der Zwerg" by Alexander von Zemlinsky (Ópera di Tenerife, conducted by Alessandro Palumbo and directed by Daniel Jeanneteau, 2023), also Orchestra Member;
-"The Little Sweep" by Benjamin Britten (Ópera de Tenerife, conducted by Maya Barsacq and directed by Stefano Monti, 2023), also Orchestra Member;
- "Robin Hood" by Michele dall'Ongaro (Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, conducted by Pietro Mianiti and directed by Marcel Sijm, 2023);
- "Madama Butterfly" by Giacomo Puccini (Teatro Grande di Brescia, conducted by Riccardo Frizza and Alessandro D'Agostini and directed by Rodula Gaitanou, 2023);
- "Raffa in the sky" by Lamberto Curtoni (Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo, conducted by Carlo Boccadoro and directed by Francesco Micheli, 2023);
- "Alfredo il Grande" by Gaetano Donizetti (Festival Donizetti Opera, Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo, conducted by Corrado Rovaris and directed by Stefano Simone Pintor, 2023);
- "Il piccolo compositore di musica" by Giovanni Simone Mayr (Festival Donizetti Opera, Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo, conducted by Alberto Zanardi and directed by Francesco Micheli, 2023);
- "Rusalka" by Antonín Dvořák (Ópera de Tenerife, conducted by Paul Daniel and directed byAndré Heller-Lopes, 2024), also Orchestra Member;
- "L'enfant et les sortilèges" by Maurice Ravel (Ópera de Tenerife, conducted by Jordi Francés and directed by James Bonas, 2024), also Orchestra Member.
GIACOMO PUCCINI, composer
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini, or simply Giacomo Puccini, is among the greatest composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Giacomo was born in Lucca on December 22, 1858, as the first son of a family of seven children. He lost his father when he was five years old and was sent to his uncle Fortunato Magi for education. Fortunato saw him as both a talented and undisciplined student. Being a member of a family with a musical background is the main reason why Giacomo received music education like his ancestors.
Thanks to his musical education, Giacomo first started playing the organ in church. His interest in opera began at a performance of Verdi's opera Aida in Pisa in 1876, with the encouragement of his conservatory teacher Angeloni. He studied at the Milan conservatory from 1880 to 1883, and was among the students of Amilcare Ponchielli and Antonio Bazzini.
In 1882, he participated in the one-act opera-lyric competition opened by the Sonzogno music house. This first opera, named Le Villi, was staged at the Verme theater in 1884 with the help of Ponchielli and Fontana, although it did not win the competition. In this way, Puccini attracted the attention of publisher Ricordi and received a second opera order: Edgar. During this period, Puccini met Elvira and they married. From this marriage, a son named Tonio was born.
His third opera, Manon Lescaut, not only brought Puccini great success, but also marked the beginning of a collaboration with lyricist Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa that would continue with three new operas. The first of these operas is La Bohème, which is considered one of the best romantic operas, written on a piece by Henri Murger. Tosca, the second opera of this series, is Puccini’s first step towards naturalism. Madam Butterfly, the third opera of the series, written based on a work by David Belasco, gained great success in later periods, although it did not attract attention in the first screenings.
The composer was injured in a car accident in 1903 and was left lame. As a result, their work slowed down. In 1906, his librettist Giacosa died. In 1909, as a result of his wife’s accusations, his maid, who was allegedly having an affair with Puccini, committed suicide.
In 1918 he creates Il Trittico, combining three separate operas in the Parisian Grand guignol style: the horror movement Il tritico: Il Tabarro, the sentimental tragedy Il tritico: Suor angelica, and the comedy section Il tritico: Gianni Schicchi. While Gianni Schicchi is appreciated, Il Tabarro is not classified.
Puccini died in Brussels in 1924, as a result of crises caused by throat cancer. His last opera, Turandot, is still unfinished. Although Franco Alfano completed the last two scenes, this work has appeared on stage with different finales over the years
