Evelino Pidò

The Royal Opera House announced their 2019/20 season on 14 May 2019, unveiling a wide range of new commissions, world premieres and revivals, supported by a diverse range of ticketed and free daytime events, activities and festivals for people of all ages. The season is the first full season since the completion of Covent Garden’s three-year Open Up initiative and features 13 new productions (including two world premieres). Among the new works is the world premiere of Jules Maxwell The Lost Thing, an adaptation of Shaun Tan’s picture book. The production is staged in association with Candoco Dance Company, the commission features a cast of disabled and non-disabled singers, dancers and musicians.

>Click here to see full details of the Royal Opera House’s new season.

Following his critically acclaimed performances in Billy Budd in April, Jacques Imbrailo returns to the Royal Opera House to star as Albert in Massenet Werther from 17 September. Benoît Jacquot’s production is conducted by Edward Gardner and also features Stephanie Wake-Edwards, who begins her debut season as a Jette Parker Young Artist with the role of Käthchen.

Rhian Lois returns to Covent Garden on 25 September to perform as Jerusha in Gerald Barry The Intelligence Park at the Linbury Theatre. Conducted by Jessica Cottis, the production is the first of Barry’s opera in London since 1990.

On 14 October, Evelino Pidò conducts the premiere of a new production of Donizetti Don Pasquale from Damiano Michieletto. The production stars Bryn Terfel and is co-produced with the Opéra national de Paris and Teatro Massimo, Palermo. The performance on 24 October will be broadcast live to cinemas around the world as part of the Royal Opera House’s Live Cinema Season.

Leo Hussain made a critically acclaimed debut at Covent Garden in 2016 helming the Royal Opera’s first production of Enescu Oedipe. He returns to the Royal Opera House on 1 November to conduct David McVicar’s production of Die Zauberflöte, which also features Hongni Wu as Zweite Dame. Wu is currently a member of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme, with other roles in the 2019/20 season including Flora in La traviata, Karolka in Jenůfa and Tebaldo in Don Carlo.

Tim Mead returns to the Royal Opera House to star in David McVicar’s new production of Britten Death in Venice from 21 November. Performing under the baton of Sir Mark Elder, Mead performs the role of Apollo opposite Mark Padmore and Gerald Finley.

Gregory Kunde performs one of his signature roles at Covent Garden from 9 December, starring in the title role of Verdi Otello under the baton of Sir Antonio Pappano. Keith Warner’s production also stars Freddie De Tommaso, who makes his Covent Garden debut as Cassio.

Pamela Helen Stephen, Vlada Borovko, Hongni Wu and Stephanie Wake-Edwards join the cast for Richard Eyre’s production of La traviata from 17 December. Stephen takes the role of Annina, while Borovko stars as Violetta on 1 February 2020. She also returns to star as Musetta in three performances of La bohème directed by Richard Jones on 7, 11 and 13 February. Wake-Edwards and Wu share the role of Flora.

Lise Davidsen sings her first lead role at the Royal Opera House from 1 March 2020 when she stars opposite Jonas Kaufmann in a new production of Beethoven Fidelio. The production is directed by Tobias Kratzer, who directs Davidsen in Wagner Tannhäuser at this summer’s Bayreuth Festival. The production will be broadcast live in cinemas on 17 March.

Hongni Wu and Stephanie Wake-Edwards join the cast of Janáček Jenůfa from 24 March 2020. Directed by Claus Guth and conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, Wu takes the role of Karolka while Wake-Edwards sings the Herdswoman.

Ruxandra Donose returns to the Royal Opera House for two productions next season. On 27 April, she joins Christof Loy’s production of Wagner Tristan und Isolde to sing the role of Brangäne under the baton of Semyon Bychkov. She then returns on 29 June to star in Don Carlo as Eboli. Nicholas Hytner’s production also features Hongni Wu as Tebaldo.

Stephanie Wake-Edwards continues her debut season as a Jette Parker Young Artist with the role of Kate Pinkerton in Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier’s production of Puccini Madama Butterfly from 22 June. This co-production with the Gran Teatre del Liceu is conducted by Dan Ettinger.

Hongni Wu and Stephanie Wake-Edwards round off the season alongside their colleagues on the Jette Parker programme with the Jette Parker Young Artists Summer Performance on 18 July.

Evelino Pidò makes a return to the Wiener Staatsoper this month to conduct Rossini Il barbiere di Siviglia on 18 and 21 May 2019. Pidò helms Günther Rennert’s production, which stars Juan Diego Flórez as Almaviva, Margarita Gritskova as Rosina and Rafael Fingerlos as Figaro.

Pidò is a regular guest at the Wiener Staatsoper and has already conducted several productions there this season, including Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor and Puccini Tosca.

Upcoming highlights of the 2018/19 season include his return to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden to conduct La Fille du regiment. Performances open on 8 July and continue until 20 July.

Straight from his successes with Aida and Simon Boccanegra at the Wiener Staatsoper, Evelino Pidò returns to Paris Opera to conduct Donizetti’s comedy Don Pasquale. The production is by Damiano Michieletto and includes an all-star cast, with Michele Pertusi in the title role, Lawrence Brownlee at Ernesto, and Nadine Sierra as Norina.

Pidò is renowned for his interpretations of bel canto opera, with regular invitations from theatres including The Royal Opera Covent Garden, Teatro Alla Scala Milan, Teatro Real Madrid and La Monnaie.

Don Pasquale opens on 9 June, with further performances on 11, 13, 16, 19, 22, 26, 29 June, and 2, 6, 9 and 12 July at the Palais Garnier.

Jesús López Cobos and Evelino Pidò both return to the Wiener Staatsoper this month; López Cobos on 23 October to conduct Margarethe Wallmann’s production of Tosca, and Pidò for Donizetti L'elisir d'amore on 24 October and Rossini L'italiana in Algeri on 26 October. 

López Cobos recently conducted Lucia di Lammermoor for Opera de Lausanne, and following his performances of Tosca, he returns to the Wiener Staatsoper in November to conduct Un ballo in maschera.

Pidò is a regular guest at the Wiener Staatsoper and conducts several productions there this season. In November he returns to conduct Adriana Lecouvreur and Don Pasquale, while in the new year he conducts I puritani, La fille du regiment and Simon Boccanegra.

Evelino Pidò returns to the Savonlinna Opera Festival on 31 July 2017 to conduct the Teatro Real Chorus and Orchestra in a revival of Emilio Sagi’s production of Bellini I Puritani. This is the first of four performances, culminating in the festival's closing performance on 4 August.

Evelino Pidò previously conducted the production in 2016 at Teatro Real to critical acclaim:

“…Evelino Pido’s musical direction marched in absolute consonance in an understanding between baton and stage that is difficult to achieve. The Italian conductor was the main protagonist of this production, and he made his presence stand out from the pit instead of hiding it; his manner of conducting, his handling of the score, his expressive gestures, are bold but appropriate. Pido delights, comforts, melts in a slow and detailed execution”
Periodista Digital, July 2016

“With Evelino Pido at the podium… a high standard was maintained…culminating in sublime finale.”
Giornale della musica, July 2016

“The choir nor the orchestra overpowered the score of Bellini, thanks to the strong leadership of Evelino Pido who corseted the two, focusing on the sensual exploits that hold the work together”
Bachtrack, July 2016

Evelino Pidò returns to La Scala to conduct Puccini La bohème, which opens on 7 June 2017. A revival of Franco Zeffirelli's production, La bohème stars Sonya Yoncheva and Ailyn Perez sharing the role of Mimi, Fabio Sartori as Rodolfo and Simone Piazzola as Marcello.

Pidò returns to Teatro alla Scala following his success conducting Verdi Rigoletto in the 2015/16 season.

Future highlights for Pidò include I puritani at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, L’elisir d’amore, L'italiana in Algeri and Adriana Lecouvreur at the Wiener Staatsoper, Cavalleria rusticana at La Monnaie, and Don Pasquale at the Opéra National de Paris.

Opening on 7 June, performances of La bohème run until 14 July. 

Evelino Pidò returns to the Wiener Staatsoper on 29 March 2017 to conduct Rossini L'italiana in Algeri.

The production is directed by Jean Pierre Ponnelle with the leading roles sung by Adam Plachetka, Maxim Mironov and Margarita Gritskova.

Pidò’s other highlights this season include Puccini La bohème at the Teatro all Scala, I Puritani at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, and Simon Boccenegra and Macbeth at the Wiener Staatsoper.

L'italiana in Algeri runs from 29 March until 8 April. Visit the Wiener Staatsoper website for more information. 

Evelino Pidò conducts his third production of the season at Wiener Staatsoper this month, leading Verdi Macbeth from 8 December 2016. Macbeth stars Simon Keenlyside in the title role, and follows Donizetti La fille du regiment and Verdi Simon Boccanegra earlier this autumn. 

Pidò's busy season has already included a successful run of Les contes d’Hoffmann at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and he also makes his house debut at Teatro alla Scala in their classic Franco Zeffirelli production of La boheme.

Evelino Pidò returns to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 7 November 2016 to conduct Les contes d’Hoffmann. He conducts a cast that includes Sofia Fomina as Olympia. Leonardo Capalbo sings the role of Hoffmann in performances on 28 November and 3 December. 

In her most recent performance at the Royal Opera House, Fomina received great praise for her performance in the trouser role of Lemmy in Guillaume Tell:

Sofia Fomina as Jemmy is possessed of a clean, pure and yet formidably striking soprano"
Music OMH, July 2015

Fomina returns to the UK in 2017 for a performance of Fidelio with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall.

Capalbo made his Royal Opera House debut last season, as Ismaele in Nabucco:

"Debuting at the Royal Opera House, the promising Italian tenor Leonardo Capalbo made the audience sit up and take notice due to the suppleness of his voice and his distinctive timbre”.
Opernglas, August 2016

Les contes d’Hoffmann, directed by John Schlesinger, opens on 7 November with performances on 11, 15, 18, 21, 24 and 28 November and 3 December. Capalbo can be heard in the title role on 28 November and 3 December.

Evelino Pido returns to the Wiener Staatsoper this month for Donizetti La Fille du Régiment, conducting four performances starting from 16 September 2016. Laurent Pelly’s famous production was premiered at the Royal Opera House in 2007 to great critical acclaim.

Pido is famous for his interpretations of Donizetti’s operas, which have been highly praised:

“Evelino Pidò is completely at home with Donizetti's demanding score, his orchestra gave its considerable all”.
Wall Street Journal

There are further performances of La Fille du Régiment on 19, 22 and 25 September.

On 27 August 2016, Evelino Pidò will conduct the Capella Cracoviensis Orchestra in Krakow as part of a project where all of Beethoven’s nine symphonies will be performed throughout the day, a challenge never before attempted by a modern orchestra.

Pidò is one of five prominent conductors performing, alongside Paul Goodwin, Christophe Rousset, Eivind Gullberg Jensen and Jan Tomasz Adamus. The performance will be held in the auditorium of the Congress Centre ICE, Krakow.

In the 2016/17 season highlights for Pidò include a return to the Wiener Staatsoper to conduct Donizetti La Fille du Regiment, Rossini Italiana in Algeri and Verdi Simon Boccanegra and Macbeth. Pidò will also return to Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for Les Contes d’Hoffman and to La Scala for La bohème.

Evelino Pidò returns to Madrid to conduct Emilio Sagi's new production of Bellini I puritani at the Teatro Real from 4 July 2016. Sagi's production, a co-production with the Municipal Theatre of Santiago de Chile, features Diana Damrau, Miklos Sebastyen and Nicolas Teste.

Pidò's highlights for the forthcoming season include a return to Wiener Staatsoper for Le fille du regiment, Les contes d'Hoffman at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and La bohème at La Scala.

I puritani runs at Teatro Real until 24 July.

Evelino Pidò returns to La Monnaie to conduct two concert performances of Cilea Adriana Lecouvreur on 17 and 21 February 2016. The cast for these performances includes Lianna Haroutounian, Andrea Carè, Daniela Barcellona and Carlo Cigni.

Further highlights this season for Pidò include a return to the Teatro Real in Madrid for I Puritani.

Evelino Pidò returns to the Wiener Staatsoper to conduct Verdi’s Rigoletto, opening on 22 January. Directed by Pierre Audi, the cast for this production includes Juan Diego Flórez, Olga Peretyatko and Carlos Álvarez.

Further highlights this season include another return to the Wiener Staatsoper for Don Pasquale, to the Teatro Real, Madrid for I Puritani, to the Opéra National de Lyon for Zelmira and to La Monnaie for Adriana Lecouvreur in concert.

Evelino Pidò  returns to France this month, where he conducts Rossini’s Zelmira in concert at the Lyon Opera on November 8 and 10, and again in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on November 14 2015. Pidò conducts a cast including Patrizia Ciofi in the title role and Antonino Siragusa, Michele Pertusi and Patrick Bolliere.

Pidò continues his 2015/16 season conducting Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda at the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín, followed by Verdi Rigoletto at Wiener Staatsoper and Adriana Lecouvreur in concert at La Monnaie.

Evelino Pido returns to the Wiener Staatsoper on 9 October 2015 to conduct Eric Genovèse’s production of Donizetti’s Anna Bolena. Pido is joined by a cast that includes Edita Gruberova in the title role and Marco Vinco as Enrico VIII. Following the first night, there are further performances on 14, 19 and 23 October.

Pido's further highlights this season include returns to the Teatro Real, Madrid, for I puritani, to the Opéra National de Lyon for Zelmira, to Ópera de Tenerife for Maria Stuarda and Werther and to La Monnaie for Adriana Lecouvreur in concert.

Evelino Pidò returns to the Wiener Staatsoper on 4 September 2015 to conduct the revival of Pierre Audi's acclaimed production of Verdi Rigoletto. Pidò is joined by a cast that includes Ambrogio Maestri in the title role and Aleksandra Kurzak as Gilda.

Later this season Pidò returns to the Staatsoper again for Anna Bolena and Don Pasquale, with other other highlights including I puritani at the Teatro Real, Madrid, Zelmira for Opéra National de Lyon and Adriana Lecouvreur in concert at La Monnaie.

Following opening night, further performances of Rigoletto take place on 7, 10 and 13 of September.

Following his success at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden with Il Turco in Italia, Evelino Pidò returns to the Wiener Staatsoper on 17 June 2015 to conduct Pierre Audi’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto. The production stars Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the title role and Ekaterina Siurina as Gilda and will will run until 30 June.

Pidò will then close the 2014/15 season at the Gran Theatre del Liceu in Barcelona, where he conducts Verdi La traviata. A revival of the David McVicar production which Pidò first conducted at the beginning of the season, the cast includes Elena Mosuc and Ailyn Pérez as Violetta, Francesco Demuro and Ismael Jordias Germont, and Gabriele Viviani and Leo Nucci as Alfredo. Performances run between 8 and 18 July.

Next season’s highlights for Pidò include further returns to the Wiener Staatsoper, Zelmira at the Opéra de Lyon, Adriana Lecouvreur at La Monnaie and a new production of I Puritani at the Teatro Real in Madrid.

Evelino Pidò returns to the Wiener Staatsoper to conduct Rossini’s La Cenerentola in three performances on 21, 23 and 26 May 2015.

The cast for this revival includes Serena Malfi as Angelina, Benjamin Bruns as Don Ramiro, and Alessio Arduini as Dandini.

Following this, Pidò will conduct Rigoletto at the Wiener Staastoper, following by La Traviata at the Gran Theatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

Evelino Pido returns to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to conduct Rossini’s Turco in Italia in a production directed by Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier, opening on 11 April. The cast features Aleksandra Kurzak as Fiorilla, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo as Selim, Alessandro Corbelli as Don Geronio, Barry Banks as Don Narciso and Thomas Allen as Prosdocimo. Performances will run until 27 April.

Further highlights this season for Evelino include La traviata at the Gran Theatre del Liceu and La Cenerentola at the Wiener Staatsoper.

Evelino Pidò makes his Russian and house debut at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in December. He conducts performances of Verdi’s Rigoletto opening 14 December.

A revival of Robert Carsen’s production, performances continue until 21 December.

Considered by many a leading expert in this bel canto repertoire, Pidò continues his season with a return to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, for Il Turco in Italia and to the Wiener Staatsoper for La Cenerentola.

Ruxandra Donose will join Evelino Pidò for a role debut as Arsace in Rossini's Semiramide at the Opéra de Lyon on 18 and 20 November, with a further performance in Paris at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 23 November.

Pidò, an annual visitor to the theatre, conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra de Lyon in these three concert performances and will also be conducting Tosca for Opéra National de Paris during the same period. This will be followed by Rigoletto at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and returns to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for Il Turco in Italia and to the Wiener Staatsoper for La Cenerentola.

Celebrated for her interpretations of Rossini's work, Donose has performed in houses across Europe in roles such as Isaura Tancredi at the Salzburg Festival, title role La Cenerentola for Semperoper Dresden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Opera de Nice, Elena in La Donna del Lago for Deutsche Oper Berlin and Desdemona in Otello. Her performance in the title role of Glyndebourne's recent release of La Cenerentola has been highly praised:

"Ruxandra Donose is everything that Rossini himself might have hoped for: a mezzo with a top extension for whom that final death-defying aria 'Naqui all'affano e al pianto', littered with coloratura, holds no fears."
Christopher Cook, BBC Music Magazine, July 2013 

Further highlights for Donose in the 2014/15 season include a new production of La Grande Duchesse de Gerlostein by Laurent Pelly at Grand Théâtre de Genève and her role debut as Bradamante Alcina at Royal Danish Opera. On the concert platform she continues her European tour of Handel's Tamerlano, released by Naïve earlier this year, and later joins Cleveland Orchestra and Charles Dutoit for performances of La damnation de Faust.

Evelino Pidò returns to the Opéra National de Paris to conduct performances of Puccini's Tosca, opening on 13 November, in a new production directed by Pierre Audi. The cast for this production includes Oksana Dyka as Floria Tosca, Massimo Giordano as Mario Cavaradossi and Sebastian Catana as Scarpia. Performances run until 28 November. This return to the theatre follows on from his recent house debut at the Teatro Real, Madrid with Verdi’s La traviata.

Pidò will be conducting Italian opera across Europe this season. Performances include Rigoletto at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in December and, later in the season, Il Turco in Italia at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and La Cenerentola at the Wiener Staatsoper.

Leonardo Capalbo makes his Gran Teatre del Liceu debut as Alfredo under the baton of Evelino Pidò, also making his house debut, in this production of La traviata by David McVicar, opening on 14 October.

Capalbo’s debut, on 15 October, follows on from his great success in the title role in Candide at Berlin Staatsoper:

“He is the full package, attractive with a great voice and good acting skills. His rich rounded voice is a joy to listen to, but most notable is his perfect breath control, allowing him to spin phrases in ways most other singers simply can’t."
Bachtrack

Further highlights this season for Evelino Pidò include another house debut at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow for Rigoletto, followed by Semiramide for Opéra de Lyon, Tosca for Opéra National de Paris, a return to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, for Il Turco in Italia and to the Wiener Staatsoper for La Cenerentola.

Leonardo Capalbo’s 2014/15 highlights include Nemorino L’elisir d’amore and Major Bennet Marco in The Manchurian Candidate for Minnesota Opera, his role debut as Jacopo in I Due Foscari at St Gallen Festspiele and a new production of Powder Her Face, directed by Mariusz Trelinsky in Warsaw, which will also be presented at La Monnaie. Future engagements include his Royal Opera House and Concertgebouw Amsterdam debuts as well as a return to Teatro Real to star in a new David McVicar production.

Evelino Pidò conducts Bellini’s Norma, a co-production with the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées at the Opera National de Lyon, in three performances this autumn. Opening in Lyon on 10 November, with a further performance on 12 November, the production then moves to the Champs-Élysées in Paris for the last performance on 15 November.

Following this, Pidò returns to the Wiener Staatsoper for Adriana Lecouvreur, La Monnaie for Guillaume Tell and the Grand Théâtre de Genève for La Wally.

Evelino Pidò returns to the Wiener Staatsoper this season to conduct Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, a production first directed by Eric Genovese at the theatre in 2011.

The cast for this revival includes Luca Pisaroni as Henry VIII and Krasimira Stoyanova as Anna Bolena. Opening on 25 October, subsequent performances will be on 28 and 31 October, and 3 November.

Following this, Pidò conducts a co-production between Opera Lyon and the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris of Bellini’s Norma. Performances in Lyon will be on 10 and 12 November, with a performance in Paris on 15 November.