On June 28, 2018 George Gagnidze will make his role debut as Barnaba in Amilcare Ponchielli’s La Gioconda in a historical Filippo Sanjust staging conducted by Pinchas Steinberg. The other roles will be sung by Hui He (La Gioconda), Daniela Barcellona (Laura), Alfred Kim (Enzo Grimaldo), Nicolas Testé / Ievgen Orlov (Alvise Badoero) and Judit Kutasi (La Cieca). There will be four performances with the last one taking place on July 7, closing the Deutsche Oper Berlin’s 2017/18 season.

“I’m delighted to make this role debut under the musical direction of such an experienced Maestro as Pinchas Steinberg, who has been wonderful with us singers and who knows La Gioconda like the back of his hand.”, says the Georgian star baritone. “The sets and costumes of Filippo Sanjust’s historical staging which premiered in 1974 are based on the original sets and costumes of the 1876 world premiere of Ponchielli’s masterwork and are just stunning. I really couldn’t have wished for a better conditions for this role debut, also thanks to the great team of colleagues I’ll share the stage with.”

The part of Barnaba is the first of two role debuts for George Gagnidze in 2018, with the second new character in his repertoire being Michele in Il tabarro at the Metropolitan Opera’s revival on occasion of the centennial of Puccini’s Il trittico in November 2018. After this Gioconda in Berlin George Gagnidze will head to the U.S. for a concert performance of Verdi’s Otello with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and a concert at the Carnegie Hall alongside fellow Georgian opera stars Nino Machaidze and Shalva Mukeria. Performances next season apart from Il tabarro at the Met include Germont in La traviata and Iago in Otello at the Paris Opera, the title role of Rigoletto at the MET and and Iago at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

[Photo by Dario Acosta]