Marco Gandini leads first rehearsal at Teatru Astra ahead of La Traviata.

Yesterday, Wednesday 14 October, almost two weeks before the premiere of La Traviata at Teatru Astra, Marco Gandini, the opera artistic director, held the first rehearsal at Teatru Astra. The rehearsal involved the main cast including Miriam Cauchi (Violetta) and Alessandro Liberatore (Germont).   La Traviata will mark the first opera production of world-renowned Marco Gandini in Malta and Teatru Astra.  A busy rehearsal schedule which has been circulated to the production team, main singers and choir will eventually be followed in the next days ahead of the first night on 28 October 2010.  The choir, which has been training vocally in the last months will team up with the main singers for the first rehearsal on stage tonight. The National  Philharmonic Orchestra, which will conduct separate rehersals under the baton of Teatru Astra resident conductor Prof Joseph Vella, will then join all the cast in the general rehearsals that are staged in the production week.

Marco Gandini, born in Vicenza in 1966, has started theatre work as assistant of Lofti Mansouri, Giuliano Montaldo, Mauro Bolognini, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Hugo de Ana, and Nuria Espert.  Since 1992 he is associate director with Franco Zeffirelli and subsequently with British director Graham Vick

1997 marks his debut as opera director with Gianni Schicchi in Verona, revived then in Palermo. Other new productions are: Tabarro in Verona, La Lupa by Marco Tutino in Palermo, L’Amico Fritz in Catania and Verona with Andrea Bocelli, another new production of Gianni Schicchi for a successful Japan tour of Teatro Comunale in Bologna, revived then in Bologna the following season, Tancredi in Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Ferrara, La Zingara by Donizetti, Le Due Contesse,  Il Duello Comico e I Giuochi D’Agrigento by Paisiello, e Don Bucefalo by Cagnoni at Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca, Il Barbiere di Siviglia e La Gazzetta by Rossini at Garsington Opera Festival, Cavalleria Rusticana e La Vida Breve by De Falla in Livorno, for inauguration of Teatro Goldoni attended by President of Republic Carlo Azelio Ciampi, La Traviata in Genova, La Finta Semplice by Mozart inVenice, L’italiana in Algeri in Treviso, Il Flauto Magico at Teatro Olimpico inVicenza, Così Fan Tutte in Piacenza, Tel Aviv and Palermo, Ballo in Maschera at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Pia de’ Tolomei by Donizetti for inauguration of Nuovo Teatro del Giglio in Tokyo.

Recent productions include the Elisir d’Amore at Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, Il Mondo alla Rovescia by Salieri inVerona, Maria Padilla by Donizetti at Wexford Opera Festival, Betulia Liberata performed for the first time in full staged version, conductor Riccardo Muti, at Pfingstenfestival in Salzburg.  Gandini is principal teacher at Opera Singer Accademy at Teatro alla Scala and Professor at Showa University of Music in Tokyo.

La Traviata at Teatru Astra forms part of the ninth edition of Festival Mediterranea. Information on the opera and all the other festival events are available on helpdesk number 21550985 and email [email protected]

14-10-2010