The Donizetti Opera Festival in Bergamo has upgraded Riccardo Frizza from music director to artistic director. Frizza, 53, has served the festival as music director for the past eight years. Go figure.
He says: ‘It is an exceptional acknowledgement of the work I have been doing since 2017 as music director of the festival devoted to Donizetti and I am deeply grateful to all the members of the board presided over by Giorgio Berta. Besides being a great honour, this double responsibility indicates a clear cut pathway to follow with the determined will to preserve the history and success of the festival, without losing sight of the origins of the historical, musical and cultural patrimony encapsulated in the towering, beloved, immortal name, Gaetano Donizetti. Those who, like me, have known and been studying his scores for a lifetime, are aware that this authentic “reservoir of music” must be transformed into artistic projects equal to the stature of such a treasure, increasing international awareness of Donizetti, supporting and promoting the Research Centre of the Fondazione, envisaging a festival that involves both the inhabitants of Bergamo and a global audience. I will soon unveil my project. Now is the time to reflect on everything that Donizetti Opera has been during the first ten years of its existence, and on Francesco Micheli’s irrepressible contribution, which has left the bold mark of his creativity. And, immediately afterwards, it will be time to make great plans and take action so that new, exciting ideas can take shape. To do this, I am certain that I can count on the continued support of everyone who has accompanied me over the years in my work as music director.’
UPDATE: Marco Mazzoleni writes: ‘Today has been a particularly hectic and stressful day. A wonderful evening brought me a news that fills me with joy. Riccardo Frizza has been appointed new Artistic Director of the Donizetti Festival. I was very worried because it was a choice, and a complex situation. And I am very connected to the fate of this project, which I consider to be among the most relevant for the city. There are not many capable people I know in this industry, and it is not easy to find yourself at the right time with the right people. Riccardo is a manager as well as an amazing musician. His contribution for the artistic level, very high, achieved by the Festival has been decisive in these years. He directs in the biggest theaters in the world and has built a network of important relationships. And he has management skills, he’s also an entrepreneur.’
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