Misha Kiria headlines ‘Falstaff’ premiere at Madrid’s Teatro Real
Baritone Misha Kiria (centre) rehearsing for the premiere of a new ‘Falstaff’ production by Laurent Pelly. Photo: Javier del Real/Teatro Real.
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Georgian baritone Misha Kiria is headlining a premiere of Verdi classic Falstaff at Madrid’s Teatro Real next week, in a production led by theatre director Laurent Pelly.
Kiria, who is preparing to go on stage in the Spanish capital on the back of his appearance in the opera at the Teatro della Fortuna in Fano, Italy in February, will be joined by a cast of mainly Spanish performers at the venue.
Launching on April 23, the premiere bill involves 11 shows of the two-hour, 45-minute staging with musical direction from Daniele Rustioni, scenography by Barbara de Limburg and lighting design by Joel Adam.
With Andres Maspero leading the choreography for the production, Kiria will be joined by tenor Albert Casals as Fenton, baritone Angel Odena as Ford and soprano Raquel Lojendio as Alice Ford in four performances.
The characters will lead the storyline of the work about the England of the time of Henry IV’s reign, delivering the plot of intrigue adapted from William Shakespeare.
The three-act work will mark a new life on the Teatro Real stage, where the original Falstaff debuted in 1894, a year following its premiere at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala.
Following its first stage presentations, theatre-goers’ interest in the Verdi staging waned, in part due to the lack of customary operatic arias characteristic to grand productions of the time.
Falstaff was re-introduced to La Scala and, consequently to other major venues, by conductor Arturo Toscanini in the 1920s, ushering a new era for the opera, even if it was still considered less of a box office occasion for wider audiences for the rest of the 20th century.
Kiria will share the Falstaff role with Roberto de Candia in shows of the premiere bill:
Born in Zugdidi in Georgia’s west, Kiria graduated from the Tbilisi State Conservatoire before training at the Academy of Teatro alla Scala between 2011-2013.
The Georgian singer has since gone on stage at major venues including the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Teatro Regio di Parma and the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam. He made his debut in Falstaff debut at the Festival Verdi in Parma.
The baritone has received critical acclaim from the Giornale della Musica for “a beautiful baritone voice and remarkable stage presence” in Falstaff, and from the Opera Magazine for his “dominating [...] singing with an impressive, sonorous voice” in a new production of The Barber of Seville.
Kiria is set to appear as Falstaff in shows scheduled between April 24-May 7.