- About...
Giuseppe Raffa
Artistic Director, Conductor & Voice Master
Maestro Giuseppe Raffa is an Italian born conductor and composer of rare refinement and elegance in style. A passionate and talented orchestra conductor, and energetic artistic producer, he has been defined by his colleagues as “the revolutionary innovator of stage concept. An expert on lyrical voice, who can today be considered as one of the greatest experts on Italian bel canto technique. He has studied at Music conservatory of Milan “Giuseppe Verdi”; and specifically composition studies under Bruno Bettinelli and orchestra conducting with Mario Gusella. He then undertook specialization studies at the “Accademia Chigiana” with Franco Ferrara and in Paris with renowned French conductor George Pretre. The maestro has produced and conducted over 3,000 events in his career. Here are some of the most important productions.
Maestro Raffa in his life has conducted more the 3,000 performances bewteen opera performances and concerts.Throughout his career he also conducted many prestigious orchestras such as: the Orchestra of the Teatro Massimo of Palermo; the Orchestra of the Teatro V. Bellini of Catania; the Orchestra Sinfonica of Bari; the Orchestra of the Prague Opera Theatre, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Prague; the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London, the Orchestre Metropoiltaine de Montreal; the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra; the Bucharest Opera Orchestra; the Sydney Symphony Orchestra; the Melbourne; Tokyo NHK Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra; South Africa State Theatre Orchestra of Pretoria; Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra; Philharmonic of Sofia; Bucharest Philharmonic; Toronto Opera Orchestra; Honk Kong Symphony Orchestra; Hungarian State Opera Orchestra; Cape Town New Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony, Toronto Philharmonic, Budapest Philharmonic and many more.
Over twenty years of live performances of Giuseppe Raffa have seen the participation of the greatest opera singers of the world and indeed, of the whole history. Among others, Piero Cappuccilli, Nicola Martinucci, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Michelle Crider Ferruccio Furlanetto, Katia Ricciarelli, Ruza Baldani, Grace Bumbry, Ghena Dimitrova, Leona Mitchell, Maria Chiara, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Elena Obrazova, Bruna Baglioni, Daniela Dessì, Juan Pons, Deborah Voight, Renato Bruson, Paata Burchuladze, Bruno Sebastian, Luigi Roni, Dennis O’ Neill, Giuseppe Giacomini, Mario Malagnini, Igvar Wixell, Nicola Ghiuselev, and Matteo Manoguerra.
The performances in South Africa’s Pretoria Football Stadium enjoyed the patronage of new President elected Nelson Mandela and the sponsorship of Ned Bank. It was one of the greatest Aida productions by Giuseppe Raffa, and indeed the greatest event that had ever taken place in the country, with an audience of 80,000 people and an extraordinary performance of Soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez in the title role. A truly historical event.
The second great Opera produced by Raffa was Verdi’s Nabucco, a production that was first staged in Munich Olympia Halle. Nabucco was a very singular and innovative production, with a central four-angled pyramid shaped stage, placed in the centre of the arena, and facing the audience at 360°. There was no backstage and performers walked in and out of the structure through purposely placed doors and hatches. It was also a visual production, with projections and other visual effects flooding from above and all around the stage, creating moving and exciting virtual environments and atmospheres.
Four sold-out performances were held and one of the leading German newspapers, the Suddeutsche Zeitung, stated “Wie einst Karajan” (like once Karajan) meaning that like this great Austrian conductor and artistic director, Raffa took thoroughly charge of all creative and artistic matters, from costumes to stage concept and direction, and of course, music.
But this was not the only time when Karajan’s name was associated to that of Giuseppe Raffa. In 1990, after a successful tour of Aida in the Pacific Area, following a series of important meetings in Beijing, supported by an entourage of international sponsors, Raffa convinced the Chinese Government to hold a Turandot production inside the Forbidden City.
A press conference was held to announce this extraordinary event to be produced and directed by Giuseppe Raffa, generating world resonance. Many, among which the great Karajan, had attempted to realize this project of great relevance and magnitude but the Chinese Government had never been heeded to give its permission. In recognition of this achievement, the German conductor sent a warm telegram of congratulations to Giuseppe Raffa.
Raffa’s next opera production to see the light was Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, produced in co-production with the “Arena di Verona “for an impressive amount of 19 performances with some 200,000 spectators. The further developed and impressive virtual scenery concept is the true protagonist of this grand and majestic, yet incredibly intimate opera production. There is no physical element present on stage of over 300 meters diameter. Every scene, ambient and atmosphere is created virtually, giving prospective and sense of depth, and producing true emotions, on an otherwise flat and bear surface.
The Madame Butterfly production was then staged again in other important cities and capitals of the world, achieving a remarkable success with both audience and critics.
The last opera production conceived by Giuseppe Raffa is Verdi’s Rigoletto. Another step further opening towards the future, with the introduction of more advanced audio-visual technologies for the virtualization of scenery, reached a new sense of depth, perspective and interactivity between stage reality and virtual – a technology that can now be used in traditional theatres. Rigoletto’s production thus started a tour of Italian opera theatres that will then extend to other European theatres of tradition.
what a great cast!
Nabucco at Olympyhalle Munich
You can’t imagine what a great privilege it is to be able to conduct a cast of this calibre, it doesn’t happen every day to a conductor.
Renato Bruson
Ghena Dimitrova
Bruna Baglioni
Paata Burchuladze
Wie einst Karajan “Nabucco“ unter Giuseppe Raffa in der Olympiahalle
Bunte Bilderwelt: „Nabucco“ Szene in der Münchner Olympiahalle
Seid nett zu Maestro Raffa! Er meint es gut, betrachtet die Oper Gesamtkunstwerk („Operama“ nennt er’s) und führt wie einst Karajan den Taktstock und Regie. Und weil er einigen Geschmack hat (mit ein paar Ausreißern) ist „sein“ Nabucco (heute noch einmal in der Olympiahalle) durchaus ansehnlich bis sehenswert. Und über weite Strecken auch gut anzuhören. „Sein“ Nabucco? Verdis Name ist um zwei Schriftgrade kleiner gedruckt als Giuseppe Raffa. Nun ja, Verdi ist tot und hat schon einen großen Namen. Raffa will mit seiner Truppe die nächsten fünf Jahre um die Welt ziehen, die großen Arenen erobern.
Die Zuschauer sitzen rund um die Bühne, bestaunen von allen Seiten die großen Aufmärsche, ein Pferd und die bunte Bilderwelt samt den pyromanischen Neigungen des Regisseurs. Zum Schluß wissen sie, daß die babylonische Gefangenschaft so schlimm nicht gewesen sein kann: Es war eher ein offener Strafvollzug.
In Mittelpunkt steckt unter einer großen flachen Pyramide das Orchester, aus dem ein paar Violinbögen herausragen – und der weißgekleidete Maestro. Jeder Sänger soll ihn sofort sehen – und das Publikum auch.
Das Orchester klingt manchmal berauschend voll dann wieder kammermusikalisch elegant, leider aber auch zuweilen total verfremdet: Die Begleitung zum Gefangenenchor hört sich in den ersten Takten an wie von einer Ziehharmonika gespielt.
Und die Sänger? Mikrophone helfen, wie man weiß, nicht nur schwachen Stimmen. Sie decken auch kleinste Unsicherheiten gnadenlos auf und machen alle stimmtechnischen Finessen transparent.
In Raffas Produktion hören wir viele erstklassige Sänger – und selbst die Zweitbesetzungen sind noch überdurchschnittlich gut. Ob man die Lautsprecher nicht doch um ein paar Dezibel zurücknehmen sollte?
Butterfly”, scenografie virtuali ma applausi veri.
Pienone in Arena per l’opera pucciniana che a novembre andrà a Londra
Una “Madama Butterfly“ tecnologica e poetica, che proietta il settantasettesimo Festival areniano. Sono le caratteristiche dell’ultima opera in cartellone, che ha debuttato ieri davanti ad un pubblico numeroso, circa 12,000 gli spettatori per un incasso di tutto rispetto.
Nella parte dei protagonisti Daniela Dessi (Cio-Cio-San) Salvatore Licitra (Pinkerton ) e Roberto Servile (Sharpless).
Il nuovo atteso allestimento del capolavoro pucciniano ha attirato l’attenzione del pubblico e della critica nazionale per l’impegno delle nuove tecnologie visive di Operama del Maestro Giuseppe Raffa.
Tali apparecchiature proiettano sulle gradinate coperte da un enorme lenzuolo bianco, immagini virtuali della sfortunata Cio-Cio-Sun, riducendo drasticamente l’uso delle scenografie tradizionali.
Il palcoscenico infatti risulta vuoto, animato solo dalle proiezioni nelle quali agiscono i protagonisti vocali, totalmente immersi nella trama dell’opera.
Ciò implica un azzeramento dei cambi di scena (infatti c’è un solo intervallo, alla fine del primo atto) e un risparmio nelle spese per gli allestimenti scenici.
L’uso di tali apparecchiature, che impiegano anche sorgenti sonore intorno al golfo mistico e al palcoscenico per realizzare uniformità di suono, in ogni angolo dell’anfiteatro apre un nuovo corso nella realizzazione degli spettacoli areniani. Un nuovo corso anche dal punto di vista delle sinergie produttive, dato che questa realizzazione è stata resa possibile grazie all’unione concreta di Verona Fiere e la trasferta che questa produzione compirà a Londra, alla Wembley Arena.
Aida Minolta Loftus in Pretoria
Maestro Raffa’s hi-tech Aida fulfils Verdi’s populist vision.
Over 80,000 spectators, for an African Aida, with the presence of President Elson Mandela
“In the hands of Maestro Giuseppe Raffa, Aida is just that: a glory to watch, a marvel to remember that is staged around the world in sports stadiums, those most populist of contemporary venues. Raffa, whose personal epigram is that he “conducts and creates operatic spectacles for the people”, has fulfilled Verdi’s wish.
Larger than life – AIDA in Honk Kong
Accounts on larger than life, operatic impresario Giuseppe Raffa exploded into energy as he spoke about his mammoth production stage in Hong Kong. The Aida by Giuseppe Raffa for Operama.
…Raffa as anything but a totally committed musician. Aged only 40 when he conducted his production of Aida which, had already toured half the world, he looked like a youthful, slightly deranged Mozart with a Latin flair. “They were writing for the man in the street. It was mass entertainment, rather like popular television programmes today. Everyone went to the Opera.” Down came the dead, dull hand of orthodox bureaucracy aimed at “preserving” Opera.
“They put it into the museum” Giuseppe Raffa lamented dramatically. “They put Opera to death as a living medium”.
Well, it’s alive now. Thanks to Raffa’s determination and enthusiasm that’s as contagious as scarlet fever. Raffa was also confident the impact in Hong Kong would have been the same as in Aida in Montreal, Aida in Sydney, Aida Tokyo.
Just as the soaring Music of Verdi swept broadly, so did the ambitious performance that was staged for three nights in the University of Hong Kong at Pokfulam. A football stadium is needed to hold the 36,000 sq ft stage with its 1,000 extras, a $ 7.8 million specially designed sound system to carry the music of the 100 strong band and a chorus of 140 singers. That performance of Aida in Hong Kong paved the way for the launch of Puccini’s Opera Turandot staged in the Forbidden City in Beijing, and watched worldwide on television.
After that?
Giuseppe Raffa gave a hearty chuckle. “Give me a break he said”. That’s as far as he’s got on his scenario to persuade the world to come back to Opera. And he no doubt contributed to Opera explosion in Hong Kong and China Giuseppe Raffa Aida “Let’s change the rules” It was entertainment for the masses, but elitist concepts and rising costs pushed it out of the reach of many today. Leona Mitchell and Marie Robinson sharing the title role, Valentin Pvovarov as Ramfis, Franco Bonanome as Radames, Ruza Baldani as Radames, Branislav Jatich as the King of Egypt and Michele Porcelli as Aida’s father Amonasro, the King of Ethiopia.
To Raffa, the most significant fact about these numbers is that 95 percent of the audiences had never before been exposed to Opera. For the man who declared his mission in life to be making Opera accessible to mass audiences around the world, it meant Opera was no longer a “bad word”. “I created something new and built a market and now everyone else is trying to do it too. Which is good – it tells me I was right”.
In the memory of
GRACE BUMBRY
Dear Grace, a great singer and a dear friend. My memory, for the great performances we did together, not only in your role as Amneris, but also in your role as Aida, a great wish of yours that we made come true in Toronto in front of an audience of 60,000.
Before each rehearsal she would say to me: “Giuseppe, tomorrow before we start, let’s do an hour or so with you and Jonathan… I always trust your ear”
