Descripcion:Anna Shafajinskaia sings a title role
Anna has emerged as one of the most important young dramatic sopranos of our time. Her debut in "TURANDOT" with WNO was called "A sensation" Rodney Milnes "The Times", "Opera" magazine and her Princess Turandot at The Royal Opera House/Covent Garden, being praised as "reminiscent of Callas" Matthew Connolly "The Times"; "She sings with great assurance and truly imperious quality that few achieve" - "Opera" magazine, London.
Anna has been an acclaimed guest at many of the world's opera companies including:
The Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Opera National de Paris (Bastille); Opera de Nice; Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona); The New National Theatre (Tokyo); Teatro Massimo (Palermo); Teatro Comunale (Florence); Torre del Lago Puccini's Festival; Deutsche Oper (Berlin); Oper Frankfurt; Semperoper in Dresden; New York City Opera; The Dallas Opera; Michigan Opera ( Detroit); Nederlandse Opera; The Amsterdam's Concertgebouw; The Mariinsky Theatre (St.Petersburg); The Bolshoi Theatre (Moscow); Finnish National Opera; Den Norske Opera (Oslo); Opera National de Montpellier; Royal Opera de Wallonie (Liege); Welsh National Opera; Florida Grand Opera (Miami); San Diego; New Orleans; Columbus; Nacionale Opera (Mexico City); Opera de Montreal; Opera Festival of New Jersey; Opera Ontario (Hamilton)...
Opera in four acts; libretto by Tobia Gorrio (Arrigo Boito), based on the play "Angelo, tyran de Padoue" by Victor Hugo.
First performance: Milan, La Scala, 8th April 1856
Characters:
La Gioconda, singer (soprano)
Laura Adorno, Genoese, wife of Alvise (mezzo-soprano)
Alvise Badoero, one of the leaders of the Inquisition (bass)
La cieca, Gioconda's blind mother (contralto)
Enzo Grimaldo, Genoese nobleman (tenor)
Barnaba, minstrel (baritone)
Zuàne, competitor in the regatta (bass)
A cantor (bass)
Isèpo, public scribe (tenor)
A pilot (bass)
ACT FOUR
In the entrance of a house on the Giudecca, Gioconda says goodbye to a group of trusted friends who have hidden Laura's body, and asks them to seek her mother, who has been missing since the previous evening.
Alone now, Gioconda falls into despair. She considers taking her own life but then reflects on the fact that she must help Laura to get away. She calls Enzo.
Enzo arrives. He too is desperate; he thinks Laura is dead. Gioconda tries to rekindle the love he once had for her, but it is useless. Offended now, she tells Enzo that she has stolen Laura's corpse.
Enzo asks her to explain, but Gioconda is no longer listening to him. All she wants to do now is to die. Enzo is about to attack Gioconda when the effect of the sleeping draught wears off and Laura wakes up and tells Enzo everything that has happened.
Enzo throws himself at Gioconda's feet with his beloved Laura, then the two run off.
Gioconda is all alone now and is held back from suicide only when she thinks of her mother and the pact she has made with Barnaba. Barnaba arrives bringing the girl's blind mother. In exchange for her mother he wants a night of passion: the girl pretends to agree but at the last moment she stabs herself with a dagger.
