Viva Verdi Bicentennial Gala Concert at the CCP

MANILA, Philippines - The Embassy of the Republic of Italy, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Philippine Italian Association and Rustan’s will stage a concert honoring the 200th birth anniversary of the great Romantic opera composer Giuseppe Verdi at the CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater) on Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Billed as Viva Verdi 1813-2013 Bicentennial Gala Concert, the performance and exhibit will feature a collection of poster-size prints of the original copy of Verdi’s works, photos and other significant memorabilia to be displayed at the CCP Main Theater lobby, followed by a performance of select opera scenes from La Forza del Destino, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Nabucco, La Traviata and Aida. Featured artists include Italian singers Gianluca Pasolini, tenor; Alvaro Lozano, baritone; and leading Philippine singers Rachelle Gerodias, Margarita Gomez, Thea Perez, Nenen Espina, Lemuel dela Cruz, Ronan Ferrer and Andrew Fernando. Conducting the Manila Symphony Orchestra is maestro Ruggero Barbieri, with director Floy Quintos and narrator Jaime del Mundo completing the cast.

Giuseppe Verdi was one of the greatest opera composers of the Romantic era, alongside Giacomo Puccini, Gaetano Donizetti, Gioacchino Rossini and Georges Bizet. It was a Golden Age for opera, where elaborate costumes and set designs ably complemented the dramatic singing and acting in a grandiose setting of elegant operatic venues of Europe. The themes represent human frailties, emotions and experiences in everyday life, such as love, anger, treachery and tragedy — which ironically are still very much persistent in today’s society. In this way, opera serves as a mirror of ourselves, but presented in dramatic and artistic fashion.

Viva Verdi 1813-2013 promises to be the country’s culminating climax to honor the great Italian opera composer, where his informative exhibits and operatic excerpts will aptly demonstrate his genius and legacy.

The event is sponsored by Elburg Shipmanagement Philippines Inc., Italian Maritime Academy Philippines Inc., Crewtech Shipmanagement Phils. Inc., PIASI, FILA, The Peninsula Manila, HSBC, Trevi Foundations Philippines and Furnitalia.

(For ticket inquiries, contact the CCP Box Office at 832-3704, TicketWorld at 891-9999 and Lulu Casas at 895-2109.)