Virtuosic dialogues: Bel Canto Vocal and Piano Works

This recital is presented as part of the Hanson Dyer Hall Concert Series. All concerts in this series can also be streamed live via our website.

The rise to stardom of piano virtuosi and the widespread consumption of bel canto opera in the nineteenth century resulted in the creation of many piano fantasies based on operatic themes. Renowned pianists and infamous rivals Franz Liszt and Sigismond Thalberg were prodigious composers and performers of this intriguing compositional form. This concert features side-by-side performances of bel canto arias and ensembles that inspired operatic piano fantasies, performed by Conservatorium vocal and keyboard area staff, students and alumni. By pairing vocal and piano works, this unique program offers insights into Liszt's and Thalberg's reimaginings of operatic themes as standalone concert showpieces, and highlights the intersection between nineteenth-century pianistic virtuosity and the expressive bel canto vocal style.

PROGRAM

Sigismond Thalberg (1812-1871)
Souvenir de Rigoletto de Verdi

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Rigoletto
- Caro nome

Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
Il barbiere di Siviglia
- All'idea di quel metallo

Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
Guillaume Tell
- Sombre forêt

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
L'elisir d'amore
- Quanto è bella
- Caro elisir … Lallarallarà … Esulti pur la barbara

Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
La Sonnambula
- Prendi: L’anel ti dono

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Réminiscences de Norma

Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
I Capuleti e i Montecchi
- E serbata a questo acciaro

Sigismond Thalberg (1812-1871)
Andante final de Lucia di Lammermoor

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Lucia di Lammermoor
- Chi mi frena in tal momento?

CREDITS

Lesley Yim - Piano & Concert Curator
Linda Barcan - Concert Curator
Teresa Ingrilli - Soprano
Breanna Stuart - Soprano
Joshua Morton-Galea - Tenor
Ben Glover – Tenor
Bailey Montgomerie - Baritone
Victoria Lambourn - Mezzo-soprano
Stephen Grant - Bass

Image credit: Cartoon of the Sextet from the opera Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti, 1900.

PARKING

The City of Melbourne has recently changed the parking restrictions around the Southbank Campus. Parking control hours are now expanded to 7am–10pm, seven days per week, and are capped at three hours. A $2-per-hour fee after 7pm is also now in place. There is no change to the $4-per-hour peak rate between 7am–7pm. Parking inspectors are regularly in the area fining drivers who overstay their meter, so we encourage everyone to be aware and avoid an expensive fine.

ACCESSIBILITY

We are committed to making our events accessible and will accommodate requirements wherever possible. All venues at the Southbank campus are wheelchair accessible. Please contact us at fineartsmusic-tickets@unimelb.edu.au if you have any questions.

To read more about accessibility at our venues, please visit:  https://finearts-music.unimelb.edu.au/access-our-events. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• Please stay home if you feel unwell, even with mild symptoms. Face masks are welcome in all settings for community and personal safety.  

• In order to account for drop-off in attendance, we overbook a select number of free events at the Faculty. If you have not arrived by the start of the performance, your ticket may be released to any waiting patrons at the door. Please arrive at the venue at least 15 minutes before the performance to secure your seat.  

• Admission to any of our concerts and events is strictly at the discretion of Front of House. We have zero tolerance for any disrespectful behaviour.