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Internationally celebrated opera stars, the legendary Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto, and American soprano Leah Crocetto, will both perform in concert for Opera Australia, rounding out a star studded Melbourne season later this month.
First up is the Australian premiere of Arrigo Boito’s only opera Mefistofele in Concert where Furlanetto will lead an outstanding cast of soloists, along with the full Opera Australia Chorus and Children’s Chorus on the State Theatre stage, and Orchestra Victoria in the pit.
Renowned for his vast range, thundering vocal power and masterful acting, Furlanetto has sung with opera’s greatest icons, including Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, Mirella Freni and Dame Joan Sutherland.
Leah Crocetto is also making a welcome return to Melbourne, following her magnificent 2021 Australian debut in Aida, and is set to give a moving portrayal of Margherita. Furlanetto will play the devil, Mefistofele, and will be joined on stage by superb tenor Diego Torre as Faust with powerhouse Australian soprano Natalie Aroyan singing the role of Elena. Leading Australian singers Sian Sharp and Iain Henderson complete the cast, all to be conducted by audience favourite Andrea Battistoni.
The rarely performed Mefistofele is a distinctive, lush work, full of stunning choral pieces and magnificent orchestration. It is the only complete opera by Arrigo Boito who was a librettist for Verdi and a brilliant composer. This will be the first time the opera has ever been performed in Australia.
Furlanetto will follow up this performance with solo concert Ferruccio Furlanetto in Concert where he revisits key moments from his long and illustrious career, on 1 June at Melbourne Recital Hall in another Australian premiere exclusive to Melbourne audiences.
One of the greatest living voices, Furlanetto describes this concert as an “itinerary” of his life in music, and will include Brahms, Mussorgsky and Rachmaninov as well as beloved bass arias from The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Boris Godunov and Don Carlo.
Come dance with the devil in this garden of demonic delights.
Mefistofele has made a bargain with God that he does not intend to lose: he can win Faust’s soul for himself. Disillusioned with his own life, Faust makes his famous pact, and embarks on a journey through life’s wildest pleasures with the devil himself. But it’s not just Faust’s soul that hangs in the balance … and this bargain has some unexpected losers.
Renowned for his work as a librettist for Verdi, Boito left only one complete opera: Mefistofele. It is a distinctive, lush work, full of stunning choral pieces, magnificent orchestration and one of the great bass-baritone roles.
Ferruccio Furlanetto incarnates the devil, Mefistofele. Leah Crocetto soars as the beautiful Margherita and Diego Torre gives us Faust at his most disillusioned. Natalie Aroyan sings the role of Elena.
Hear the Orchestra Victoria in all its glory celebrating both the sacred and profane, and the magnificent sound of the Opera Australia Chorus on stage in this rare concert performance of Boito’s work.
Sensational young maestro Andrea Battistoni conducts.
Conductor Andrea Battistoni
Margherita Leah Crocetto
Faust Diego Torre
Mefistofele Ferruccio Furlanetto
Elena Natalie Aroyan
Marta / Pantalis Sian Sharp
Wagner / Nereo Iain Henderson
Opera Australia Chorus
Opera Australia Children’s Chorus
Orchestra Victoria
Evenings at 7.00pm
May 25, 27
Running time
Approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes including one interval
Performed in Italian with English subtitles
Adult tickets from $59 (fees may apply)
Opera Australia Box Office (02) 9318 8200
State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne
With a voice that speaks volumes in every note, Ferruccio Furlanetto is one of the greatest basses of our time.
Over five decades, Ferruccio Furlanetto has become one of the world’s most sought-after singers. Renowned for his vast range, thundering vocal power and masterful acting, he has performed on opera’s finest stages from Milan, Paris and Vienna to London and New York, collaborating with leading orchestras and conductors including Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti and the legendary Leonard Bernstein.
Throughout his acclaimed international career, Furlanetto has made Verdi’s heroes his own, dominating the titular Attila and Filippo in Don Carlo. At Melbourne’s Arts Centre, he was unforgettable as the quixotic Don Quichotte and, at St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre, he was the first Italian bass to appear in the title role of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov and as Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin.
Here, the focus on vocal ability is singular. For Furlanetto, recitals provide “the possibility to paint with the colors of our voice and our intentions….creating images and feelings that will stay in the heart and not in the eyes”.
Accompanied by pianist Natalia Sidorenko, Furlanetto traverses the emotional landscape of Brahms, Mussorgsky and Rachmaninov before filling Melbourne Recital Centre with beloved bass arias from The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Boris Gudanov and Don Carlo.
Ferruccio Furlanetto
Natalia Sidorenko
1 June at 7.30pm
Approximately 2 hours including one interval
Adult tickets from $59 (fees may apply)
Opera Australia Box Office (02) 9318 8200
Melbourne Recital Centre
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Michelle is a musician and composer from the UK. She has performed across the UK and Europe and is passionate about arts education and opportunities for women and girls.
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