How do we love Puccini? Let us count the ways…
There’s his sense of drama and his concern for human stories and real emotion but, above all, we love the glorious, flowing melodies that stay in your ears long after the curtain comes down. We love the sensuousness of Manon Lescaut, the grand tragedy of Tosca, the pathos of Madama Butterfly – guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes – and the mystery of Turandot. This is the Puccini we know and love, and for this gala concert, Brett Weymark has assembled highlights to showcase the 400 voices of the Festival Chorus and our soloists – stars of the operatic stage. We’ll be joined by the Sydney Youth Orchestra in full force – performing Puccini’s colourful orchestrations without compromise.

But first we’ll be revealing a llittle-known side of Puccini. He might have decided to become an opera composer at the age of 18 – inspired by Verdi’s Aida – but he came from a long line of church musicians and the culmination of his musical studies was the ambitious Messa di Gloria. This rarely heard mass setting hints at the opera composer to come, with generous melodies and the way he brings drama to the ritual. But, above all, it’s 40 minutes of high-octane choral singing – joyous, dancing and, yes, fun!

PROGRAM
PUCCINI Messa di Gloria
PUCCINI Highlights from…
Manon Lescaut
Tosca
Madama Butterfly
Turandot

ARTISTS
Brett Weymark conductor
Cheryl Barker soprano
Anna-Louise Cole soprano
Bradley Daley tenor
Peter Coleman-Wright baritone
Festival Chorus
Sydney Youth Orchestra