29 May 2008
The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society welcomes the return of Alex Vicens in Association with PartyGaming
The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society ends its 2007-08 Season with its now traditional “Celebration of Opera”; a concept which started in their 2003-04 Season and which has, since then, grown even more in popularity as it sees singers perform with piano accompaniment which means the audience can hear every breath and every nuance in every note sung as there is no orchestra to drown their voices.
The series, in association with PartyGaming will see soprano Takesha Meshe Kizart of the Deutsche Oper and tenor Alex Vicens perform Opera arias and duets from famous operas by Mozatr, Verdi, Puccini and Donizetti amongst many others. Pianist, Maestro Guillermo Garcia Calvo of the Vienna State Opera will be accompanying them on the day with the concert taking place on Thursday 29 May 2008 at 20:30hrs at St Michael’s Cave.
A spokesman for the society commented “we are very grateful to PartyGaming for their continued support of this series of concerts and we are glad that the Gibraltarian audience appreciate and respond well to the concept we proposed and continue to promote since 2003”.
Born in Barcelona in 1973, Alex Vicens began his musical studies at the Liceo Conservatoire of Barcelona, where he studied with Cecilia Fontdevilla. He completed his studies with eminent soprano Virginia Zeani at Indiana University (USA) as well as with the legendary tenors Carlo Bergonzi, Alfredo Kraus and Jaime Aragall.
Mr Vicens is the winner of several prestigious voice competitions, which include First Prize at the Lied Svetana Diacovitx International Voice Competition (Sofia, Bulgaria), the Paloma O’Shea Prize at the 1998 Francesc Viñas International Voice Competition (Barcelona, Spain), First Prizeat the Promedic/Circulo del Liceo Voice Competiton (Barcelona, Spain), and three major prizes at the 2002 Francesc Viñas International Voice Competition - the Fundacion Gran Theatre del Liceo prize (second overall prize), the Placido Domingo Prize (awarded to the best Spanish singer of the competition), the Zarzuela Prize (awarded to the best performer of Zarzuela of the competition).
Since he was last in Gibraltar, Mr Vicens made his debut in Germany in February 2004; performing the main role in Verdi’s opera Don Carlo at the Münster State Opera House, which was applauded with a standing ovation that lasted more than thirty minutes. Critical acclaim for his performance in this role followed as Mr Vicens went on to sing the role fourteen times within a space of two months throughout Germany.
In June 2004 he sung the role of Riccardo in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera for the Schwerin Festival in an open-air production held in the location of the famous lake and castle within Schwerin.
Alex Vicens was appointed soloist of the Münster State Opera House for the 2004-2005 season during which time he performed the main tenor roles in La Bohème, Magic Flute, Dialogue des Carmélitesand Don Giovanni.
In 2005-06 he played the roles of the Chevalier in the Dialogues de Carmelites, the Duke in Rigoletto, and Dvorak’s Stabat Mater, Werther, Fenton in Falstaff, Verdi’s Requiem and Alfredo in La Traviata at the Staatstheater Schwerin.
The 2007-08 Season has seen Mr Vicens play the lyric roles of Alfredo in La Traviata, Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Casio in Otello at the Staatsoper Stuttgart.
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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