Baritone

Aaron Agulay

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Artist

Approved

2013

2012

2011

2010

2008

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2025

Conductor - Ingo Metzmacher Production - Jens-Daniel Herzog Stage design - Mathis Neidhardt Costumes - Mathis Neidhardt Lighting design - Jürgen Hoffmann Orchestra - Orchestra of the Zurich Opera With Alfred Muff (Pope Pius IV.), Martin Gantner (Giovanni Morone), Rudolf Schasching (Bernardo Novagerio), Alfred Muff (Cardinal Christoph Madruscht), Thomas Jesatko (Carlo Borromeo), Valeriy Murga (The Cardinal of Lorraine), Michael Laurenz ( Abdisu, the Patriarch of Assyria), Kresimir Strazanac (Anton Brus von Müglitz), Oliver Widmer (Count Luna), Martin Zysset (The Bishop of Budoja), Boguslaw Bidzinski (Theophilus), Tomasz Slawinski (Avosmediano), Roberto Saccà (Giovanni Pierluigi Palestrina); Martina Janková (Ighino, his son), Judith Schmid (Silla, his student); Reinhard Mayr (Bishop Ercole Severolus), Aaron Agulay (1st band singer), Joa Helgesson (2nd band singer), Jan Rusko (3rd band singer), Ilker Arcayürek (4th band singer), David Steffens (5th band singer); Irène Friedli (The apparition of Lucretia); Michael Laurenz (1st appearance), Boguslaw Bidzinski (2nd appearance), Martin Zysset (3rd appearance), Oliver Widmer (4th appearance), Thomas Tatzl (5th appearance), Valeriy Murga (6th appearance), Tomasz Slawinski (7th apparition), Reinhard Mayr (8th apparition), Pavel Daniluk (9th apparition); Sen Guo (1st angel voice), Rebeca Olvera (2nd angel voice), Sandra Trattnigg (3rd angel voice) Hans Pfitzner describes his “Palestrina” as a “musical legend”, since the plot refers to the story that Pierluigi da Palestrina passed down for a long time as the savior of music. His "Missa Papae Marcelli" is said to have brought about the turning point in the dispute over the future of church music at the Council of Trent in 1563 and to have convinced the spokesmen of the Counter-Reformation that polyphonic art music was suitable for the church liturgy. Even if this lacks any historical basis, Pfitzner found in it the ideal material to stylize his own artistic work: «There a man in Rome sits in one and the same place for almost the entire 16th century, leaves the place where he works, not in his whole life. Depending on the mood and nature of the ruling popes, sometimes treated graciously, sometimes ungraciously, this great genius lives quietly and pompously, rewarded by nothing but the feeling of his worth, in the dark. " “Suddenly a dazzling light falls on him, he stands there in world historical significance, so to speak. The following event approaches him: a whole development of art, the polyphonic musical style, threatens to be destroyed. The inartistic world, the one that moves outside in the gears of human interests and passions, is about to stomp down the countless masterpieces that have emerged as if born of a spirit over time and surrender to eternal oblivion. Then the call comes to him, Palestrina: Save the music! ... He thinks the big hour is great, he writes the work that brings salvation. A spiritual Herculean act is accomplished: to create beauty by commanding power. " After intensively studying the time of the Counter Reformation, Pfitzner worked from 1910 to 1915 on the score of this work, which the conductor of the premiere - Bruno Walter - already attested to have “all elements of the immortal”. Pfitzner's high degree of identification with the revered Renaissance artist, which was even reflected in the composer's physiognomy during the time the work was being composed, gave rise to a score that combines Pfitzner's own compositional work with Palestrina's style in a touching and astonishing synthesis.

Aaron Agulay

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