The rake and the seamstress

TWO OF THE most famous operas ever composed are all set to thrill music lovers as Bangkok’s 16th International Festival of Dance and Music brings new productions of “Don Giovanni” and “La Boheme” to the Thailand Cultural Centre.
Raising the curtain on this year’s festival on Saturday night is the world premiere of a new production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s mesmerising two-act tragicomedy, “Don Giovanni” by Teatro Lirico Italiano,
Set in Seville in the mid-17th Century, it follows the fictional libertine and seducer, Don Juan, whose obsession in life is bedding as many women as possible by whatever means necessary. Travelling through Europe, the infamous rake leaves a trail of broken hearts and mayhem in his wake in what might appear to be a familiar tale of morality. Mozart, however, weaves together elements of comedy, tragedy and the supernatural to fashion a mischievous, yet harrowing oeuvre that reveals the dark side of Don Giovanni and his eventual damnation.
On Monday night, the Roman company will perform Puccini’s four-act romantic work “La Boheme”.
A coming-of-age story about love and loss, “La Boheme”, based on Henri Murger’s “La Vie de Boheme”, was also the inspiration for hit Broadway musical “Rent”. The story revolves around a group of young freethinking bohemians living in the Latin Quarter of 1840s’ Paris, who flirt with hunger and poverty all for the sake of art. At the heart of the plot is the relationship between poet Rodolfo and Mimi, a seamstress, who along with their destitute friends bring to life the pain and pleasure of young love, and the bohemian world of Paris, from its chilly garrets to the lively cafes and nightlife. The riveting drama coupled with Puccini’s impassioned music, especially the poignant love duet at the end of Act I, is what makes this one of the greatest operas of its time.
Both these timeless operas have new life injected into them with exhilarating new productions by Teatro Lirico Italiano, one of Italy’s top private opera companies.
Founded in 1977 by the renowned bass Franco Pugliese, the company has organised and produced a number of opera seasons for 24 different theatres and has more than 600 performances to its credit including Morlacchi’s “The Barber of Seville”, “The Wings of Daedalus” by Maurizio Squillante, “Le Avventure di Pinocchio” composed by Antonio Cericola, Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” and Puccini's “Turandot”.
In 1984, Pugliese’s son, Claudio took over as the artistic director. Well-known in the world of opera for his experimental work, research and revival of forgotten operatic gems, he has also helped develop and launch emerging young artists, who have gone on to forge international careers, such as the soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci and the tenor Roberto Alagna.
Wielding the baton for the Bangkok performances is another of the artistic director’s discoveries, Giuseppe Sabbattini. After an initial start as a bassist in orchestras, he devoted himself to singing, performing at the La Scala in Milan to the Metropolitan in New York, Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Suntory Hall in Tokyo among others.
More recently Sabbattini took up conducting and has been invited to conduct concerts by a number of prestigious orchestras including the Russian National Orchestra of Moscow, the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Zagreb Philharmonic, the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, the State Hermitage Orchestra, the Orchestra Toscanini in Parma, and the Tokyo Philharmonic
Playing the leads in “Don Giovanni” are baritone Paolo Coni, soprano Angela Nisi and bass Mauro Corna. “La Boheme” also feature atop Italian artists including Salvatore Cordella, Italo Proferisce, Pietro Naviglio, Jessica Rose Cambio, Alessio Potestio, Mauro Corna, Pietro Naviglio and Angela Nisi.

Bangkok’s 16th International Festival of Dance and Music is supported by Bangkok Bank, Crown Property Bureau, BMW, B Grimm, Bangkok Hospital, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Indorama Ventures, Nation Multimedia, Beiersdorf, PTT, Singha Corporation, Thai Airways, Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of Culture.
 IN FINE VOICE
- Bangkok’s 16th International Festival runs through October 26.
- Teatro Lirico Italiano of Rome and Macedonia Opera will raise the festival curtain with “Don Giovanni” on Saturday. The troupe will stage the “La Boheme” on Monday. Both shows are at 7.30pm at the Thailand Cultural Centre.
- For more details, visit www.BangkokFestivals.com.