Gianluca Marcianò announces the theme of Queens and Empresses of the Orient

for the 2017 Al Bustan Festival in Lebanon 15 February – 19 March 2017 Al Bustan Hotel Beyt Meri, Lebanon Artistic Director Gianluca Marcianò and President Myrna Bustani present the 2017 Al Bustan Festival programme on the theme of Queens and Empresses of the Orient, running from 15 February to 19 March in Lebanon. The theme enables the festival to explore legendary matriarchal figures

such as Cleopatra, the Queen of Sheba, Dalila, Aida, Medea, Zenobia, Scheherezade, Mary and Thais through many rarely-heard operatic, choral and symphonic works. In addition to Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Cherubini’s opera Medea, the programme includes some enticing extracts from almost-forgotten operas Queen of Sheba by the Hungarian composer Goldmarck and his French counterpart Gounod, as well as from Cléopâtre in versions by Berlioz and Massenet. Located at the Al Bustan Hotel in the tranquil hills above Beirut, the Festival was founded 23 years ago to introduce Lebanese audiences to classical music through the world’s leading artists. The Festival has hosted the Middle Eastern premieres of several operas and other works, including the first Wagner opera production in the Levant. 2017 highlights include Opera Award winner Anna Bonitatibus with a recital programme including extracts from Semiramide and regular favourites such as violinist Renaud Capuçon, pianists Khatia Buniatishvili and Gloria Campaner. When international orchestras pulled out of touring to Lebanon last year, artistic director Marcianò was undaunted and following a call to colleagues across the world on Facebook, he created the Al Bustan Festival Orchestra. 2017 is yet more enterprising with the launch of the Al Bustan Festival Orchestra Academy, which will run from 6 to 13 February prior to the Festival opening on 15 February. The Academy’s

aim is to prepare young string players for the demands of a professional career, to provide opportunities to participate in masterclasses with a distinguished panel of professors, with some going on to perform in the Festival Orchestra. On 15 February Marcianò and the Al Bustan Festival Orchestra open the festival with a programme of operatic highlights from Massenet, Saint-Saëns, Rossini and Gounod with soloists Anush Hovhannisyan, Ketevan Kemoklidze, Giulio Pelligra and Igor Golovatenko. For Rossini’s Stabat Mater on 22 February, Marcianò has brought together a cast including Nestan Meboniya, Alessandra Volpe, Giulio Pelligra and Goderzi Janelidze, bass with the Choir of the Serbian National Theatre. The cast of Cherubini’s Medea (in the Italian version) on 26 February includes Svetla Vassileva, (Medea), Ilona Domnich (Dirce), Daniela Pini, (Néris), Lorenzo Decaro (Giasone) and Goderzi Janelidze (Creon). The Festival finale includes excerpts from Verdi’s Nabucco, Berlioz’s La Mort de Cléopâtre and Verdi’s Aida, with soloists Silvia dalla Benetta, Paola Gardina and Lorenzo Decaro. As Gianluca Marcianò explains: “I have worked in many countries which have been blighted by conflict and in these places music can be a unifying force especially when there are difficult relations with neighbours and different religions living together – and normal people respect that. This year I am thrilled to place these legendary matriarchs of the Orient centre stage. Their power, status and influence has shaped our collective memories of the past. As queens, empresses, wives, mothers and lovers, their struggles with destiny have echoed for millennia and still evoke our sentiment often more profoundly than their consorts.” ABOUT THE FESTIVAL Set in a quiet suburb on a picturesque hillside overlooking Lebanon’s vibrant capital, the Al Bustan Festival presents an annual programme of world-class music, dance and theatre – the most innovative and high-profile music festival in the Levant. Myrna Bustani, Lebanon’s first female Member of Parliament, founded the Festival in February 1994 as the Middle East’s most high-profile platform for international classical virtuosi, symphony orchestras and opera companies. Bustani received an IAMA Award in 2014 for her valuable work and dedication to promoting music in the Middle East through the Al Bustan Festival for the last two decades. The festival takes place in the Emile Bustani Auditorium and the Crystal Garden conservatory at the Al Bustan Hotel in Beyt Meri and at some of Lebanon’s historic churches. A few minutes walk from the hotel, there is an ancient archaeological site with Roman ruins, thermal baths and Byzantine mosaics. The Al Bustan Festival has enjoyed 23 years of the highest quality music making. Over the years, the Festival has invited artists such as Maria Ewing, Angelika Kirschlager, Evelyn Glennie, Helikon Opera, the

Jacques Loussier Trio, Irek Mukhamedov, June Anderson, the Labeque sisters, Sumi Jo, Gautier Capuc ̧on, Emmanuel Pahud, Anna Tifu, Boris Berezovsky, Antonio Meneses, Vadim Repin, Gidon Kremer, Antoni Wit and the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The Festival has a history of commissioning contemporary composers such as John Taverner, Naji Hakim and Roxanna Panufnik. The Al Bustan Festival has hosted the Middle Eastern premieres of several operas and other works, including the first Wagner opera production and two years ago a moving performance of Bellini’s Norma conducted by Marcianò. Maya Jaggi wrote of Gianluca Marcianò in the Guardian: “His conviction that music has a role in the aftermath of war gained credence from a powerfully cathartic performance of Norma. Many were in tears...but the emotive crux was the priestess [Carmen Giannattasio] who pulls back from the brink, realizing that that the pursuit of vendetta is a crime against the innocent.” Presenting around 30 performances each year spanning opera, dance, orchestral and chamber music over five weeks, with additional workshop and educational programmes for the Lebanese National Conservatoire, it provides a further draw to visit Lebanon’s capital in a country already brimming with historic sites from the Assyrians to Ancient Romans, to the glories of Baalbek. “In spite of decades of unrest, Beirut remains a fascinating city to visit and the Al Bustan Festival has presented itself as a beacon of

hope and a sign of cultural continuity” Opera Now

“Al Bustan remains an accessible classical music event for

Lebanese and visitors alike” Royal Wings Beirut

FESTIVAL ACADEMY – 6 to 13 FEBRUARY With professors Maxim Novikov, Karen Shahgaldyan (violin, concertmaster of the Al Bustan Festival Orchestra), Karen Kocharyan (cello, associate concertmaster of the Al Bustan Festival Orchestra), Giulio Plotino (violin, Professor of the Cherubini Conservatory, Florence and Nicolini Conservatory, Piacenza) and Enrico Fagone (double bass, Artistic Director of Giovanni Bottesini International Double Bass Competition).

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME Wednesday 15 February OPERA GALA OPENING Anush Hovhannisyan, soprano; Ketevan Kemoklidze, mezzo;, Giulio Pelligra tenor, Igor Golovatenko, baritone; Al Bustan Festival Orchestra, Gianluca Marcianὸ, conductor Massenet, Herodiade; Saint Saens, Samson et Dalila; Rossini, Semiramide; Massenet, Cléopâtre; Gounod, La Reine de Saba; Massenet,Thais Friday 17 February FIRST PRIZE WINNERS SAXOPHONISTS Quatuor Morphing: Christophe Grèzes, saxophone soprano Eddy Lopez, saxophone alto Anthony Malkoun-Henrion, saxophone tenor Matthieu Delage,saxophone baritone Ravel, Quartet; Grieg, Holberg Suite; Granados, Spanish dances; Glazunoz, excerpts Quartet Op. 109 Saturday 18 February SHEHERAZADE Victor Julien-Laferrière, cello ; Al Bustan Festival Orchestra; Gianluca Marcianὸ, conductor Ravel, Sheherazade, ouverture de féerie; Schumann cello concerto op. 129, Rimsky Korsakov, Sheherazade Sunday 19 February FAMILY CONCERT Jacaranda Ensemble: Alpenhorn, didgeridoo, saxophone and percussion Monday 20 February SEMIRAMIDE (baroque) Anna Bonitatibus, mezzo-soprano; Nelson Calzi, piano; 6 musicians from Al Bustan Festival Orchestra Tuesday 21 February at 6.30 P.M. BATHICH HALL, AUDITORIUM A.U.B FESTIVAL LECTURE

Dr Nasser Al Taee, Advisor of Royal Opera House of Muscat (ROHM) "Under the spell of magic: the Oriental Queen in Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade" Wednesday 22 February SAINT JOSEPH JESUIT CHURCH ROSSINI STABAT MATER Nestan Meboniya, soprano; Alessandra Volpe, mezzo; Giulio Pelligra, tenor; Goderzi Janelidze, bass; Choir of the Serbian National Theatre, Al Bustan Festival Orchestra; Gianluca Marcianὸ, conductor Sunday 26 February at 7 P.M. OPERA: MEDEA Svetla Vassileva, soprano (Medea); Ilona Domnich, soprano (Dirce); Daniela Pini, mezzo (Néris); Lorenzo Decaro, tenor (Giasone); Goderzi Janelidze, bass (Creon), Choir of the Serbian National Theatre, Al Bustan Festival Orchestra; Gianluca Marcianὸ, conductor Cherubini, Opera MEDEA (Italian version, in concert performance) Wednesday 1 March RACHMANINOV AND ELGAR Renaud Capuçon, violin; Khatia Buniatishvili, piano; Al Bustan Festival Orchestra; Gianluca Marcianὸ, conductor Elgar, Violin Concerto Op. 61; Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 3 Thursday 2 March ROMANTIC SONATAS Renaud Capuçon, violin; Khatia Buniatishvili, piano A. Dvorak, 4 Romantic Pieces; E. Grieg, Violin Sonata No 3; C. Franck, Violin Sonata in A major Saturday 4 March ONLY BEETHOVEN 3 Gloria Campaner, piano; Al Bustan Festival Orchestra; Beatrice Venezi, conductor

Beethoven Leonore Overture; Piano Concerto No. 3; Symphony No 3 Sunday 5 March at 9.30 P.M. ( VENUE TO BE CONFIRMED) AL BUSTAN FESTIVAL GIG DJ Gloria Campaner mixing classical music; DJ Giorgio Cadamuro Alias Ceacus Animi Monday 6 March JULIA DOMNA (Syrian Empress, wife of Roman Emperor Septimus Severus) Mireille Maalouf (Julia Domna); Serena Chami (the servant); Cherif Khaznadar (director) Tuesday 7 March FROM LATIN AMERICA TO PARIS Jorge Viladoms, cello Lionel Cottet, piano Friday 10 March CLEOPATRA Regula Mühlemann, soprano, La Folia Barockorchester, Robin Muller, conductor Saturday 11 March FADO, AN EVENING IN LISBON Katia Guerreiro, singer FADO Sunday 12 March ZENOBIA, QUEEN OF SHEBA AND PALFALVI'S TRUMPET Tamás Pálfalvi, trumpet; Orquesta Joven de Extremadura; Gianluca Marcianὸ, conductor

Reinecke, Overture Zenobia; Hummel, Trumpet Concerto; Goldmarck, The Queen of Sheba Tuesday 14 March SAINT-SAENS VIOLIN CONCERTO N3 Fanny Clamagirand, violin; Orquesta Joven de Extremadura; Gianluca Marcianὸ, conductor Saint Saens Andromaque Overture; Violin Concerto No 3 Bizet Djamileh Egyptian Dance; Carmen Suites No 1 and No 2 Thursday 16 March VIOLIN AND VIOLA DOUBLE CONCERTOS Xenia Gamaris, violin; Ksenia Zhuleva, viola; Orquesta Joven de Extremadura; Gianluca Marcianὸ, conductor Mozart, Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra Bruch, Double Concerto for violin & viola with orchestra Schubert, Rosamunde the Princess of Cyprus Sunday 19 March OPERATIC GRAND FINALE Silvia dalla Benetta, soprano; Paola Gardina, mezzo; Lorenzo Decaro, tenor; Orquesta Joven de Extremadura; Gianluca Marcianὸ, conductor Verdi, Nabucco excerpts Berlioz, La Mort de Cléopâtre Verdi, Aida excerpts

Gianluca Marcianò

“Gianluca Marcianò conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra with a bright, clear, highly-energized zest that was Italian to the core.” Opera Marcianò is a conductor of great agility and astuteness with a particular interest in bringing the Italian operatic repertoire to the most varied corners of the world. He is Artistic Director at the Al Bustan Festival in Beirut, Artistic Advisor of the Tokyo New City Orchestra and in October 2016 he takes up the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Armenian State Opera in Yerevan.

As Artistic Director of the five-week long Al Bustan Festival in Beirut, Marcianò hosted and conducted the first performance of the Bellini’s Norma in the Middle East in 2015. Bursting with energy and committed to nurturing young talent, he created the Al Bustan Festival Orchestra last Spring, aiming to set up an apprentice scheme for the 2017 festival. Previous posts have included the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and the Tbilisi State Opera & Ballet Theatre in Georgia where he conducted La Forza del Destino, Cavalleria Rusticana, Nabucco, Attila, Il Trovatore, Mitridate, Re di Ponto and Aida, as well as the New Year's Concert with Andrea Bocelli in Batumi. Marcianò also has strong ties with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet in Vilnius. Much of Marcianò’s operatic work in the UK has centred around ENO, Grange Park Opera and Longborough Festival. He has returned to Grange Park annually for the past 6 years, conducting Eugene Onegin, Samson et Dalila, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, I Puritani and La traviata as well as a gala concert with Simon Keenlyside and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. At ENO, Marcianò has conducted revivals of Jonathan Miller’s production of La bohème and Anthony Minghella’s Madame Butterfly. He has also conducted at Longborough Festival Opera on several occasions and at the Chelsea Opera Group Recent highlights within the 2015/16 season included a successful run of a new production of Verdi’s Don Carlo at Grange Park Opera and the return to Opera de Oviedo to conduct a new production of Nabucco by director Emilio Sagi, also touring to Gijon and Pamplona. Marcianò conducted Verdi’s Ernani and La Traviata at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Vilnius, and made his debut appearance with the Tokyo New City Orchestra for their New Year’s concert. On the concert stage, Marcianò has welcomed collaborations with top soloists such as Gautier Capuçon, Steven Isserlis, Khatia Buniatishvili, Sergei Krylov, Nina Kotova and Denis Kozhukin, and conducted many notable orchestras including the Moscow City Russian Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, English National Opera, Oviedo Filarmonia, Sarajevo Philarmonic Orchestra, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, The World Orchestra, Macau Orchestra and Beijing Symphony Orchestra. Born in Lerici in Italy’s Liguria, Marcianò was a piano prodigy and graduated in politics before being trained as a conductor by Loris Voltolini.

http://www.gianlucamarciano.com

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