29 May 2008
Guillermo Garcia Calvo Returns to Gib and Performs at St Michael’s Cave in Association with The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society and PartyGaming
PartyGaming and The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society have teamed up as they have done in the last couple of years to bring world class opera singers to perform in Gibraltar. The “Celebration of Opera”; as the concert series is known will see soprano Takesha Meshe Kizart of the Deutsche Oper, Berlin and tenor Alex Vicens of the Teatro del Liceo team up with piano accompanist Maestro Guillermo Garcia Calvo in performing Opera arias and duets from famous operas by Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Bellini and Giordano amongst others. The concert will take place on Thursday 29 May 2008 at 20:30hrs at St Michael’s Cave.
Spanish born Guillermo Garcia Calvo began his musical education at the age of seven. He concluded his musical studies at the University of Music in Vienna with a thesis on Parsifal and a performance of the Overture from Tannhäuser in the Großer Saal (Great hall) at the Wiener Musikverein. Between 2001 and 2002 he worked as assistant for Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, during this time he was also the conductor for the student’s orchestra “Ciudad de Lucena” in Córdoba. In March 2003 he celebrated his debut as opera conductor with a performance of Hansel and Gretel at the Schlosstheater, Schoenbrunn.
On the occasion of the city of Oviedo’s third summer festival, in August 2006, Mr Garcia Calvo was invited by Friedrich Haider to conduct the Orquesta Sinfónica Ciudad de Oviedo at the Teatro Campoamor. Cosme Marina wrote in the Spanish newspaper La Nueva España “The young Spanish conductor Guillermo surprised with his debut, showing profound knowledge of the works, a firm control of the orchestra and a lucid interpretation of the programme. A discovery.” In March 2007 he conducted the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra for a CD recording including works by W.A. Mozart and Leopold Mozart. Consequently he has been invited by the same orchestra to conduct three concerts in October 2008.
During the Bayreuth festival in 2007 he worked with Christian Thielemann as his musical assistant for the reprise of the Ring des Nibelungen. In July of the same year as part of a programme patronized by Patrimonio Nacional he conducted a programme of Beethoven works including two piano concerts and the 8th symphony with the Symphonic Orchestra of Sofia in El Escorial, Madrid.
Mr García Calvo has been working as répétiteur for soloists at the Vienna State Opera since November 2003 and in the 2007-08 Season he has conducted a number of ballet performances. After his debut with Coppélia in October 2007 the Austrian newspaper Wiener Kronen Zeitung praised his vitality and good taste while respecting the dancers’ needs. He has conducted over 60 performances of children’s opera and has been responsible for the musical preparation of more than 50 operas in the repertoire of the Vienna State Opera.
In January 2008 Mr Garcia Calvo conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra of Las Palmas, presenting four overtures by Mendelssohn on the occasion of nine concerts for students.
Future engagements include conducting two piano concerts and two symphonies by Brahms in July 2008 at La Granja de San Ildefonso. In November 2008 Guillermo García Calvo will conduct the premiere of The Nutcracker and Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Vienna Volksoper. He is also scheduled to conduct two performances of Mayerling, a new ballet with music composed by Liszt, two of Anna Karenina and six performances of The Nutcracker at the Vienna State Opera.
Tickets priced at 20 pounds each are available from The House of Sacarello in Irish Town and The Silver Shop at 275 Main Street. Credit/debit card purchase is also available by phoning the Society on +350 (200) 72134. A limited number of tickets are also available to Senior Citizens at a reduced price via The John Mackintosh Hall at 308 Main Street.
The cost of the ticket includes a bus shuttle (return) service; departing from Ince’s Hall as from 19:30hrs.
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