– The diva from Grand Canary is incorporating role of the lead female in Gounod´s opera Faust into her repertoire
November 2017
After opening the season at the historical Teatro San Carlo in Naples with one of the Verdi roles she has sung the most, Amelia Grimaldi in Simon Boccanegra, the Spanish soprano Davinia Rodríguez will remain in the country to continue to enchant the demanding Italian opera-goers. Next December she will embark on a tour of Italy which will give her the opportunity of singing the role of Marguerite, in the opera Faust, by Gounod. “Portraying this emblematic role represents a great responsibility, as this is one of the leading roles in Goethe´s legend, Faust, which has such relevance within Western culture,” the singer affirms. “Her character is pure and innocent, but also contradictory. After she has been captivated by Faust´s love-making, she falls madly in love with him while he is under Mephistopholes´ influence. Finally, she becomes a victim, regretting the relationship and going insane.” According to Rodríguez “Gounod knew exactly how to reflect each of the subtleties that the character needs with a completely lyrical vocal line, which is very demanding in the high register. In this way the composer has made sure that the music and the interpretation of the role are one and the same thing,” she concludes.
Faust will visit the three theatres that are coproducing the opera on its tour: the Teatro Comunale in Modena (1st and 3rd December), the Teatro Municipale Valli in Reggio Emilia (7th and 10th December) and the Teatro Municipale de Piacenza (15th and 17th December. It will be directed by Simone Derai and Davinia Rodríguiez will be joined on stage by Francesco Demuro (Faust), Ramaz Chikviladze (Mephistopheles) and Simone Piazzola and Benjamin Cho (alternating in the role of Valentin); Jean-Luc Tingaud will be conducting the Orchestra dell’Opera Italiana and the Fondazione Teatro Comunale di Modena Choir.
In 2018 the soprano will make her debut at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing (China) with her first Thaïs; she will perform her first Verdi Requiem at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona alongside the Liceu Symphony and Choir. She will also sing her aclaimed Nedda in Pagliacci at the Royal Opera House in Muscat, in the Sultanate of Oman.