MEZZO-SOPRANOJOYCE DIDONATO MAKES CARNEGIE HALL RECITAL DEBUT
IN STERN AUDITORIUM/PERELMAN STAGE ON SUNDAY, MARCH 6
Recital Features World Premiere of Jake Heggie’s The Breaking Waves and
Includes Works by Haydn, Rossini, and Chaminade
Renowned American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato makesher Carnegie Hall recital debut on Sunday, March 6 at 2:00 p.m. in SternAuditorium/Perelman Stage, collaborating with pianist David Zobel. Ms.DiDonato’s program includes the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s The BreakingWaves (commissioned by Carnegie Hall) alongside works by Haydn, Rossini,Chaminade, and others. Complete program information is listed below.
Jake Heggie’s The Breaking Waves was commissioned by Carnegie Hall atthe request of Joyce DiDonato for this recital debut performance. The work isbased on text by Sister Helen Prejean, the central character in Mr. Heggie’sopera, Dead Man Walking. Ms. DiDonato made her New York stage debut atNew York City Opera in the role of Sister Helen, marking the beginning of aclose relationship between Sister Helen, Ms. DiDonato, and Mr. Heggie. For thiscommission, Mr. Heggie turned to Sister Helen for texts on which to base thisnew work. Those that most resonated with the composer reflected moments ofself-realization through darkness and water. According to Mr. Heggie, “…thetext that leaped out immediately was her [Sister Helen’s] story of bodyboardingin the ocean: feeling confident and filled with anticipation, then being overtakenand swept away by an immense and unexpected wave. Fighting at first, and thengiving over to the power of that force and trusting it would take her toshore…That theme of the breaking wave—a breaking sense of clarity, awarenessand trust—became the big theme for the cycle.” The work is divided into foursongs: “Advent,” “Darkness,” “Music,” and “Return.”
As part of Carnegie Hall’s Debut Blog series, carnegiehall.org/debut, Ms.DiDonato has been contributing video blogs and written updates detailing herjourney and experiences as she has prepared to make her Carnegie Hall debut.
About the Artists
Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato is among the world’s most enchantingperformers and the winner of many honors, including the Metropolitan Opera’sBeverly Sills Award. Highlights of her 2010–2011 season include Sister Helen inJake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking at Houston Grand Opera, a North Americanrecital tour with pianist David Zobel, and performances at the MetropolitanOpera as Isolier in Rossini’s Le comte Ory and Komponist in Strauss’s Ariadneauf Naxos. Additional highlights include her debut at the Deutsche OperBerlin, where she appears as Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia;as well as performances at the Teatro Real in Madrid as Octavian in Strauss’s DerRosenkavalier. She concludes the season with a European tour singing thetitle role in Handel’s Ariodante with Il complesso barocco. The tourcoincides with the release of the CD, Diva, Divo, on EMI’s VirginClassics label and is followed by her return to the Royal Opera House inMassenet’s Cendrillon. Born and educated in Kansas, Ms. DiDonato was amember of the young artist programs of the San Francisco, Houston Grand, andSanta Fe opera companies after graduate studies at Philadelphia’s Academy ofVocal Arts. Since then, she has appeared on the world's major opera stages (inAmsterdam, Barcelona, Chicago, Geneva, London, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris,San Francisco, Tokyo, Vienna, and Berlin) and has given recitals and concertsat London’s Wigmore Hall; Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw; and with the New YorkPhilharmonic; Cleveland Orchestra; San Francisco Symphony; Orchestre Nationalde Paris; St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; and the London Symphony Orchestra. AtCarnegie Hall, she has performed in recital with pianist Julius Drake (WeillRecital Hall), with Les Talons Lyriques (Zankel Hall), as well as with the METOrchestra and as part of a Carnegie Hall Choral Workshop (SternAuditorium/Perelman Stage). Ms. DiDonato’s growing discography includes Handelduets with soprano Patricia Ciofi, complete recordings of Rossini’s Lacenerentola, Handel’s Radamisto, Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini,and DVDs of Handel’s Hercules, La cenerentola, and Il barbieredi Siviglia. She has recorded three solo CDs: The Deepest Desire, ¡Pasión!,and her debut recital from Wigmore Hall which was a Gramophone Editor’s Choice.She made two recordings as an exclusive artist for EMI’s Virgin Classics label:a selection of Rossini arias, and the album Furore with Les Talens Lyriques andChristophe Rousset.
French pianist David Zobel was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarshipas well as a Sony ES Award for Musical Excellence and has earned master ofmusic degrees in accompanying from The Juilliard School and in singers’coaching from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris. Mr.Zobel enjoys a successful career as collaborative pianist and opera accompanistin France as well as internationally. He regularly accompanies singers atdistinguished competitions including the Plácido Domingo Competition, Leconcours de la ville de Paris, Le concours de l’Opéra de Marseille, the QueenElisabeth Competition, and the Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna. As anopera coach, he has worked with Le Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris), the WienerStaatsoper (Vienna), as well as France’s l' Opera de Montpellier, le Festivalde Radio France in Montpellier, and le Festival d'Aix en Provence, amongothers. Mr. Zobel has collaborated with conductors including Christoph vonDohnanyi, Christoph Eschenbach, and Sir John Elliot Gardiner. With JoyceDiDonato, he has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious concertstages including at Milan’s La Scala, New York City’s Lincoln Center, London’sWigmore Hall, Barcelona’s Liceu, Paris’s Le Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, and atthe Rossini Festival in Pessaro, Italy. Mr. Zobel accompanied Ms. DiDonato onher first highly acclaimed solo album, The Deepest Desire, which wasawarded the Diapason d’or de l’année.
Program Information
Sunday, March 6 at 2:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
JOYCE DIDONATO, Mezzo-Soprano
DAVID ZOBEL, Piano
JOSEPH HAYDN Berenice, che fai, Hob. XXIVa:10
GIOACHINO ROSSINI "L'invito"
GIOACHINO ROSSINI "La partenza"
GIOACHINO ROSSINI "Le dodo des enfants"
GIOACHINO ROSSINI "Chanson de Zora"
CÉCILE CHAMINADE "Viens! mon bien-aimé!"
CÉCILE CHAMINADE "Villanelle"
CÉCILE CHAMINADE "Aubade"
CÉCILE CHAMINADE "L'été"
GIOACHINO ROSSINI "Assisa al piè d’un salice...Deh, calma," from Otello
JAKE HEGGIE The Breaking Waves (World Premiere, commissioned by CarnegieHall)
ARTURO BUZZI-PECCIA "Lolita, serenata spagnola"
RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO "Serenata francese"
VINCENZO DI CHIARA "La spagnola"
Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.
| Ticket Information
Tickets, priced from $31 to $88 are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.
For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer.
In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. |
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