February 10, 2020
On February 10, 2020, Irina Lungu will sing the role of Marguerite in Faust for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House, in a production by Sir David McVicar and under the musical direction of Maestro Lorenzo Passerini, the first of a series of eight performances running through March 11, 2020. She will sing alongside Ivan Magrì in the title role, Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Méphistophélès, Michael Honeyman as Valentin and Anna Dowsley as Siébel.
Irina Lungu made her Opera Australia and Sydney Opera House debut as Gilda in Rigoletto in July 2018, returning there earlier this season as Corinna in Il viaggio a Reims.
The Russian soprano was most recently heard as Marguerite at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, in the same McVicar staging, which was broadcast in cinemas worldwide, and at the Teatro Real in Madrid where she appeared in a production by Alex Ollé. Further appearances in the role include performances at the Dutch National Opera Amsterdam, Teatro alla Scala Milan and the Teatro Regio Turin (the latter of which is available on DVD/Blue-Ray on the United Classics label), as well as in a concert performance with the Moscow Philharmonic Society.
Irina Lungu’s upcoming engagements include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at the Vienna State Opera, Mimì in La bohème at the Teatro Lirico Cagliari, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor at the New National Theatre Tokyo and her role debut as the soprano soloist in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem at the Moscow Zaryadye Hall.
Information about Faust at the Sydney Opera House
Faust: Ivan Magrì; Marguerite: Irina Lungu; Méphistophélès: Teddy Tahu Rhodes; Valentin: Michael Honeyman; Siébel: Anna Dowsley; Marthe: Dominica Matthews; Wagner: Richard Anderson
Lorenzo Passerini, conductor; Sir David McVicar, stage director
Performances: February 10, 14, 20, 22, 26, 29; March 6, 11
[Photo by Tristram Kenton]