New York – Sicilian tenor, Marcello Giordani is to sing Panis Angelicus by César Franck, at the Papal Mass in Yankee Stadium on Sunday, April 20th. The mass is scheduled to begin at 2:30 PM. In addition, Mr. Giordani will sing “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s Turandot at the pre-Mass show at noon; check local listings for broadcast information.
Of his invitation to sing at the Papal Mass, Mr. Giordani said: “As a Catholic, one of my greatest dreams has been to sing for the Pope, and I am profoundly honored to have been asked to participate in Pope Benedict XVI’s first Mass open to the general public in New York.”
Mr. Giordani is currently enjoying a major season in New York and Boston. He recently performed Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at the Metropolitan Opera, to be followed by his role debut in Verdi’s Ernani on March 17th; the latter opera has not been performed at the Met since 1985. Two more role debuts follow in April and May, when he sings the title role in Puccini’s Edgar in a concert performance with Opera Orchestra of New York on April 13th, and Enée in a series of concert performances of Berlioz’ Les Troyens with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), under the direction of James Levine in Symphony Hall in Boston (Part 1: April 22, 24, 26; Part 2: April 30, May 2; Parts 1 and 2: May 4).
Mr. Giordani’s performance as Don Alvaro in La Forza del Destino from the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is scheduled for release as a DVD in 2008. In April, the November 28th performance of this opera will appear in movie theatres throughout the United States and Europe as part of the Maggio Musicale’s new venture for the recording, distribution, and broadcasting of opera productions in high-definition video and digital audio.
The February 16th performance of Manon Lescaut from the Metropolitan Opera has been shown in high-definition in movie theatres throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and Japan, and will be released on DVD at a future date.