Marcello Giordani is, arguably, “the greatest leading tenor of his generation” – “Opera News”, March 2008.
Marcello Giordani has been hailed by the international press as one of the most important tenors
on the opera stage today. He has appeared in all of the world’s major opera houses and has sung
with many of today’s most renown conductors. His exceptional versatility and vocal range have
allowed him to encompass a vast repertory, running the gamut from the Bel Canto operas of
Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini and the lyricism of the French operatic repertoire, to the more
dramatic roles of Verdi and Puccini. More recently, he has also undertaken the great vocal works
of Berlioz, such as La damnation de Faust and Les Troyens.
Giordani’s schedule for the 2010-11 opera season includes his debut in September in the role of
Radames in a season-opening production of Verdi’s Aida at the San Francisco Opera. This will be
followed by performances of Puccini’s La Bohème at the Teatro Massimo Bellini of Catania in
October, and of Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. He returns to the
United States in December for his debut in the role of the Mexican bandit Ramerrez, next to the
“fanciulla” of Deborah Voigt, in Giancarlo del Monaco’s production of Puccini’s La Fanciulla del
West which opened the 1991-92 opera season at the Metropolitan Opera. The current revival of
this production after an absence of about 15 years, marks the 100th Anniversary of the world
premiere of the opera at the Metropolitan in the presence of the composer, with Emmy Destinn in
the title role and Enrico Caruso as Dick Johnson/Ramerrez.
In January 2011, Giordani will reprise the role of Ramerrez at the Lyric Opera of Chicago where he
rejoins Deborah Voigt as Minnie. March and April will see Giordani making his debut in three
different roles: Vasco da Gama in Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine in a concert version with Opera
Orchestra of New York; Turiddu in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Canio in Pagliacci, in a
Cav/Pag double bill at the Gran Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona. He finishes the season as
Cavaradossi in three different productions of Puccini’s Tosca in three major European opera
houses: the Bayerisches Staatsoper of Munich, the Royal Opera House of London, and the Teatro
Real of Madrid.
On the concert stage, Giordani will appear as a guest artist in the prestigious Richard Tucker Gala
in November 2010. In February 2011 he will once more join forces with Deborah Voigt for a
concert at the Vero Beach Opera where he will also offer a Master Class for young opera singers.
Highlights of the 2009-10 opera season were a revival of the 1995 production by Giancarlo del
Monaco of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra at the Metropolitan Opera, where he performed the tenor
role of Gabriele Adorno next to Placido Domingo in the title role; a new production of Tosca by Luc
Bondi, also at the Metropolitan; and a new production of Gounod’s Faust at the Teatro alla Scala of
Milan. Off the stage, Giordani conducted Master Classes at the Manhattan School of Music in
New York and at the Vero Beach Opera in Vero Beach, Florida. In December 2009, Giordani
participated, as a member of the teaching faculty, in the biennial course of the new “Academy of
advanced specialization” established at his own initiative under the patronage of the Teatro
Massimo Bellini of Catania, Sicily.
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A major event which took place in the Spring of 2010 was the inauguration on May 7th in New York
City of the Marcello Giordani Foundation, a not for profit organization dedicated to the help and support
of young opera singers. In August, he took time off from his operatic schedule to present on behalf
of the Foundation an operatic program in his native Sicily entitled ESTATE LIRICA, showcasing
some of the best student singers who had attended the courses of the Academy.
The Summer of 2010 also saw Giordani’s debut as Pollione in Bellini’s Norma at the Salzburg
Festival, and his appearance in concert at the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, Italy.
Born in Augusta, Sicily, in 1963, Marcello Giordani began his voice studies in 1983 in Catania, and
then in Milan. In 1986, he won the singing competition of Spoleto, and that same year he made his
professional debut as the Duke in Rigoletto at the Festival of Spoleto in Italy. His debut in the
United States was in the role of Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles at the Portland Opera during the
1988-89 season. He made his debut at Teatro alla Scala of Milan as Rodolfo in La Bohème in
1988, and at the Metropolitan Opera of New York as Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore in 1993.
Other early milestones include his debuts as Gabriele Adorno in Simon Boccanegra at the Royal
Opera of London under the direction of Sir Georg Solti (1997); with the Munich Philharmonic in La
Damnation de Faust (1999) under the direction of Maestro Levine; and with Opera Orchestra of
New York (OONY) at Carnegie Hall in Lucrezia Borgia (2000). In 2001 he became the first Italian
in the history of the Metropolitan Opera to sing the role of Lenski in Eugene Onegin in Russian.
Of his performance as Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur with OONY in 2002 the New York Times
wrote: “Marcello Giordani sang like a god”. Also to be noted are his performances in the title roles
of the Metropolitan Opera’s premiere productions of Bellini’s Il Pirata (2002) and of Berlioz’
masterpiece, Benvenuto Cellini (2003); his debut in 2004 the role of Enzo in a concert version of
La Gioconda with OONY, where his interpretation of the aria “Cielo e mar” received a four-minute
ovation and was declared “sensational” by the New York Times; and his performance in 2006 as
Arnold in OONY’s concert performance of Guillaume Tell, where the audience stopped the show
following his execution of the cabaletta “Amis, amis secondez ma vengeance”, clamouring for an
encore. That same year, he made his debut in Verdi’s Don Carlo at the Teatro Regio of Turin, and
celebrated the 20th anniversary of his professional debut with a special concert in his honor at the
Teatro Bellini of Catania.
In the Fall of 2006, Giordani opened for the first time the new season at the Metropolitan Opera as
Pinkerton in the company’s new production of Madama Butterfly conceived and directed by the
renowned movie director Anthony Minghella. He opened the Met season again in 2007 as
Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, in a new production by Tony Award-winning director
Mary Zimmerman, and that same year he made his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in
a concert performance of La Damnation de Faust conducted by James Levine. The following year
saw his debuts in the title role of Verdi’s Ernani at the Metropolitan; in the challenging role of Enée
in a series of concert performances of Berlioz’ Les Troyens with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
under the direction of James Levine; and in Puccini’s Edgar with Opera Orchestra of New York.
On April 20, 2008, on the occasion of the visit to New York of Pope Benedict XVI on April 20, 2008,
he appeared before the Pope to sing “Panis Angelicus” by César Franck during the Papal Mass in
Yankee Stadium. “A day I will never forget,” he declared.
During the 2008-09 opera season at the Metropolitan Opera, Giordani participated in a pre-season
performance of Verdi’s Requiem conducted by James Levine in memory of Luciano Pavarotti; sang
the title role in Berlioz’ La Damnation de Faust in a new production by Canadian director Robert
Lepage; and reprised the role of Pinkerton in Minghella’s production of Madama Butterfly which
was broadcast as part of the the Met’s “Live on HD” series. On November 22nd, after singing the
title role in the matinée performance of La Damnation de Faust, he reappeared as Pinkerton in the
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evening performance of Madama Butterfly, adding his name to those of a handful of singers who
have sung two leading roles on the same day at the Met. Appearances in Europe during the same
season included La Forza del destino and Roméo et Juliette at the Vienna Staatsoper; Simon
Boccanegra at the Gran Teatre del Liceo in Barcelona and in a concert performance with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Andrea Chénier at the Teatro Carlo Felice of Genoa; Turandot at the
Hungarian State Opera of Budapest; Ernani at the Teatro Massimo Bellini of Catania; and a
performance of Verdi’s Requiem in Rome with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala.
He concluded the season in July as Cavaradossi in a much acclaimed production of Tosca at the
Royal Opera House.
In addition to his appearances on the opera stage, Giordani has frequently appeared in concerts
and recitals both in Europe and in the U.S. He has been a frequent guest star on the nationally
televised Richard Tucker Gala, and the guest artist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the nationally
televised Christmas midnight mass. He sang for two consecutive years (2006 and 2007) in the
Columbus Day Parade held in New York City and broadcast by the major TV stations in the US
and Italy. His execution of “Panis Angelicus” before the Pope in april 2008 was broadcast live on
national and international television channels.
Marcello Giordani’s discography includes the first studio recording of Verdi’s Jérusalem for Philips,
and two solo recordings: the first, on Naxos, features tenor arias by Bellini, Bizet, Donizetti,
Mascagni, Rossini, and Verdi, among others, and the second on VAI, entitled Sicilia Bella, features
classical songs from Giordani’s native Sicily. He is also featured on Many Voices, a compilation of
songs by composer Steven Mercurio on Sony Classical. Scheduled for distribution in the Fall of
2010 is a new CD of Neopolitan and Italian songs titled of “Ti voglio tanto bene” dedicated to the
great Italian tenors of the past.
On DVD, Giordani can be seen in Franco Zeffirelli’s 2004 production of Madama Butterfly from the
Arena di Verona (2004); in La Bohème from the Opernhaus Zürich (2005); in La Gioconda, from
the Teatro Bellini of Catania (2006); in La forza del destino by the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino,
filmed live in HD from the stage of the Teatro Comunale of Florence, Italy, in 2007; and in the
Metropolitan opera production of Manon Lescaut filmed in HD in 2008 and broadcast live on the
HD international network. The Metropolitan Opera’s “Live on HD” broadcasts of Madama Butterfly,
La Damnation de Faust and Turandot are scheduled for release on DVD in the Fall of 2010.