Last Wednesday he gave his hundredth performance as the Count of Almaviva in “The Barber of Seville.” Let’s talk about tenor from Asti Enrico Iviglia (on the left in the photo above)among the protagonists – together with Stefano Marchisio, Diego Savini, Barbara Massaro, Alberto Comes, Claudia Ceraulo and Federico Residori – of the opera staged on Palco 19 as part of the Asti Lirica festival.
Enrico, were you satisfied? How was the public response?
First of all, I admit that it was wonderful that my hundredth performance as the Count of Almaviva took place “at home”, that is, in Asti. Furthermore, I had never sung on Stage 19, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Although it has had a different use for some years, it is an Italian-style theater with a horseshoe structure, which among other things belongs to the memories of my youth as it was adjacent to the Ritz cinema, which I frequented, and because it was the place that had acted as frame, in 1990, at a stage of the well-known television program “Piacere Raiuno”.
The response from the public was also excellent. Suffice it to say that in three days the tickets sold out, so much so that many of my fellow villagers from Castell’Alfero were unable to listen to me. There were also numerous fans of the Alba baritone Stefano Marchisio, with me on stage, who impersonated Bartolo.
How many years has he been the Count of Almaviva?
For twenty years. The first time was in 2005 at the Teatro Casino in San Remo with the Opera Giosa. It’s a character that I made my own, with different nuances depending on the directors who directed me, including Silvio Davide Garattini Raimondi, director of the version held in Asti. A professional with whom I got along very well, as well as with the conductor Sirio Scacchetti, who I consider to be a talented young man.
Basically, the Count of Almaviva is the character I played right from the start because everyone told me that it coincided with my vocal style. So I studied it, also because it is a very marketable title all over the world, so much so that “in his shoes” I have performed on the stages of various countries, including various Central American states, Japan and Germany.
Had he already been on stage with Stefano Marchisio?
Yes, at the Teatro Coccia in Novara, again in the “Barbiere di Siviglia”, on the occasion of his debut in that role in the unfortunate year 2020, dominated by the pandemic.
The opinion on Asti Lirica
Did you know Renato Bonajuto, artistic director of Asti Lirica?
Yes, for twenty years, as a director. I have already worked with him in Novara as part of the concerts promoted by the Tones on the Stones Foundation.
As a professional in the sector, how do you view the “Asti Lirica” event, which is in its second edition?
I am very happy that this new “title” appears in the dialogue between colleagues in the world of opera. Previously Asti was mentioned only for single concerts, like those I organized individually or together with the soprano Erika Grimaldi, another Asti professional in the sector. Now, however, we are talking about it in reference to a real season like other large cities have, characterized, this year, by the final of an important competition which was held on 9 June. I therefore hope that it continues and becomes a tradition, always offering titles known to the general public, also to educate them about this genre.
Future projects
Future projects? What will your summer be like?
After busy months, in which, among the various performances, I made my debut at the Teatro Filarmonico di Verona with the Fondazione Arena, I will have a summer full of summer concerts and I will be back on stage with the “Barbiere di Siviglia”, in scenic form, in Diano Marina. The most important event, however, will be at the end of August at the Callas Academy in Verona. I will go on stage in Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro” for my new debut: I will play the character of Basilio for the first time. A new engagement that I am very satisfied with.
