Sunday April 28, Raina Kabaivanska will be in Varese to receive the “City of Varese Award 2024”. In the Estense Hall, at 3.30 pm, a Puccini concert will take place held by two students of the great singer: the soprano Iolanda Massimo and the tenor Giuseppe Infantinoaccompanied on the piano by Marco Cadario.
The programme, chosen by Kabaivanska, combines rare chamber compositions with the most famous lyrical pieces by the composer from Lucca, whose centenary of death this year marks. Among the expected pages, arias and duets from Bohemian, Gianni Schicchi, Madame Butterfly and obviously, Tosca, the work that has most characterized the artistic career of the winner. During the concert, the mayor of Varese, Davide Galimberti, will present the award to the guest, who will have the opportunity to tell the audience anecdotes and curiosities about his extraordinary career.
City authorities and Ana Paskaleva, consul general of the Republic of Bulgaria in Milan, will be present, who will institutionalize the homage to the soprano of Bulgarian origin from an international point of view. The governor of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana, a well-known opera enthusiast, wrote a message in which, congratulating the Municipality and the Friends of Opera for the initiative, he defined Kabaivanska as “A voice capable of inspiring and fascinating entire generations of opera fans throughout the world, a stage presence of timeless grace and talent.”
The City of Varese Award, established in 1981 by the Friends of Opera, who began by awarding it to Renata Tebaldi and Mario Del Monaco, has brought the great names of opera to the Lombard provincial capital for over forty years and, with Raina Kabaivanska, will be able to include in its roll of honor one of the greatest singers in the history of the theatre.
Entrance 20 euros, for Amici della Lirica and Unitre members 10 euros, free for young people up to 20 years old.
Further information: www.liricavarese.it
