Piotr Beczała, one of today’s most sought-after tenors, returns to perform for Zagreb audiences after four years. He will be joined by the internationally acclaimed soprano Marigona Qerkezi, and this grand gala concert will bring the fourth international Zagreb Opera Festival to a close.
Beczała last performed before a Zagreb audience exactly four years ago, in September 2022, at the Opera Gala Concert that opened the new theatre season. The concert also marked the beginning of the first term of Iva Hraste Sočo, PhD, as General Manager of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
Four years later, Beczała returns to the stage of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb at the very beginning of Iva Hraste Sočo’s second term, once again appearing as one of the foremost international stars of the Zagreb National Theatre’s new opera season.
Following performances on the world’s most prestigious stages, from the Metropolitan Opera and Vienna State Opera to La Scala in Milan and the Paris Opera, Beczała will be joined on this occasion by Marigona Qerkezi, one of the most distinguished sopranos of her generation. Born in Zagreb, Qerkezi also shares a special connection with Croatian audiences.
Soloists
Marigona Qerkezi, soprano
Piotr Beczała, tenor
Sofija Petrović, mezzo-soprano
Ljubomir Puškarić, baritone
Luciano Batinić, bass
Conductor: Pier Giorgio Morandi
Opera Orchestra of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb
PROGRAMME
1. Giuseppe Verdi
Macbeth – “Nel dì della vittoria… Vieni! t’affretta!”
Performed by: Marigona Qerkezi
2. Umberto Giordano
Andrea Chénier – “Un dì all’azzurro spazio”
Performed by: Piotr Beczała
3. Giuseppe Verdi
Don Carlo – “Per me giunto è il dì supremo”
Performed by: Ljubomir Puškarić
4. Giuseppe Verdi
La forza del destino – “Pace, pace, mio Dio!”
Performed by: Marigona Qerkezi
5. Camille Saint-Saëns
Samson et Dalila – “Printemps qui commence”
Performed by: Sofija Petrović
6. Jules Massenet
Werther – “Pourquoi me réveiller”
Performed by: Piotr Beczała
7. Giuseppe Verdi
Macbeth – “Come dal ciel precipita”
Performed by: Luciano Batinić
8. Giuseppe Verdi
Aida, Act I – “Quale insolita gioia”
Performed by: Marigona Qerkezi, Piotr Beczała and Sofija Petrović
Interval
9. Giacomo Puccini
Suor Angelica – Intermezzo
Performed by: Opera Orchestra of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb
10. Giacomo Puccini
Manon Lescaut – “Sola, perduta, abbandonata”
Performed by: Marigona Qerkezi
11. Giacomo Puccini
Tosca – “E lucevan le stelle”
Performed by: Piotr Beczała
12. Giacomo Puccini
Tosca, Act I – duet “Mario! Mario! Mario!”
Performed by: Marigona Qerkezi and Piotr Beczała
13. Giuseppe Verdi
Don Carlo – “O don fatale”
Performed by: Sofija Petrović
14. Giacomo Puccini
Tosca – “Vissi d’arte”
Performed by: Marigona Qerkezi
15. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Eugene Onegin – “Kuda, kuda”
Performed by: Piotr Beczała
16. Giuseppe Verdi
Don Carlo – “Ella giammai m’amò”
Performed by: Luciano Batinić
17. Giuseppe Verdi
Un ballo in maschera – “Alzati!… Eri tu”
Performed by: Ljubomir Puškarić
18. Umberto Giordano
Andrea Chénier, Act IV – final duet “Vicino a te”
Performed by: Marigona Qerkezi and Piotr Beczała
