On March 16, 2017, Irina Lungu will make her role debut as Elvira in I Puritani at the Teatro Comunale “Luciano Pavarotti” of Modena, in a new production by Francesco Esposito conducted by Jordi Bernacer which will also travel to the two other co-producing opera companies, the Teatro Municipale of Piacenza and the Teatro Municipale of Reggio Emilia, for a total of seven performances running through April 2, 2017. Ms Lungu will perform alongside Celso Albelo/Keon Woo Kim as Arturo Talbo, Fabian Veloz as Sir Riccardo Forth and Luca Tittoto as Sir Giorgio Walton.

Elvira is the second bel canto heroine that Irina Lungu is adding to her already wide repertoire this season, occurring right after her triumphal debut as Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, and shortly before her first approach to the protagonist of Anna Bolena at the Opéra Grand Avignon in May. “I’m so happy to finally make my long-awaited debut as Elvira”, says the the Russian soprano. “The role has so many pages congenial to my vocal characteristics, such as the finale of Act I and the big Act II scene and aria.”

Irina Lungu opened the 2016/2017 season of the Teatro Regio of Turin as Mimì in La bohème, sang the same Puccini role at the Teatro San Carlo, Gilda in a new production of Rigoletto at the Teatro Comunale of Bologna and returned to the Vienna State Opera as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, to the Bavarian State Opera in Munich as Liù in Turandot, and to Verona for her first Giulietta in I Capuleti e I Montecchi. After this Modena / Piacenza / Reggio Emilia tour, the soprano faces one more bel-canto role debut, the title role of Anna Bolena at the Opéra Grand Avignon. Her season ends with a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor in Bologna.

Information about I Puritani at the Teatro Comunale Modena, Teatro Municipale Piacenza and Teatro Municipale Reggio Emilia:

Irina Lungu (Elvira), Celso Albelo / Keon Woo Kim (Arturo), Fabian Veloz (Riccardo), Luca Tittoto (Sir Giorgio), Kato Nozomi (Enrichetta di Francia), Lorenzo Malagola Barbieri (Lord Gualtiero), Juan Pablo Dupré / Keon Woo Kim (Sir Bruno Robertson)

Francesco Esposito (director), Jordi Bernacer (conductor)

Performances: March 16, 19, 21 at the Teatro Comunale Modena; March 24, 26 at the Teatro Municipale Piacenza; March 30 and April 2, 2017 at the Teatro Municipale Piacenza

http://www.teatrocomunalemodena.it/scheda_evento.php?idevento=6&id=opere&s=biglietteria

http://www.teatripiacenza.it/app/elenco.jsp?IdC=2910&IdS=2926&tipo_cliccato=0&tipo_padre=0&menu=1&nav=1&css=&pos=0

http://www.iteatri.re.it/Sezione.jsp?titolo=i+puritani&idSezione=4347