Special live edition with the Italian soprano LUCIANA SERRA
Saturday, 3 March 2012 , 20.00

Luciana

It was surprising for me to find out - regarding one of the lessons held by the soprano Luciana Serra at the Bucharest National Opera within the project StudiOpera in partnership with Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan - how a great artist put aside the indulgence in her diva status and started to seriously explain characters and scores to a few young people, determined to turn opera into a profession.

Luciana Serra and Sir Georg Solti

It was surprising because I had seen how the maestro invited to hold the master classes was - generally - outdoing himself by holding a speech independent of the surrounding environment, so that the light would shine only onto himself; and by how usually the maestro's message, judgment and ideas could barely stand a choked voice (maybe due to emotion?!) or the 'cold' singing of a young person at the start of his or her career. This is how we reach the conclusion that Luciana Serra is different.

Luciana Serra in Anna Bolena

Voluble and passionate about what she is sharing, she merges the science of singing not only with the sound, but also with the word - and by this way I thank Daniela Plopeanu, who insisted I see her in action.

Luciana Serra in Queen of the Night

It was clear to me that Luciana Serra could teach singing! That she was one of the most distinguished voices of the last century, 'Queen of the High Notes' - who, in late 70s, was bringing back to the attention of audiences and opera theatres the repertory of coloratura sopranos, collaborating with the greatest of conductors (Georges Prêtre, Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Salvatore Accardo, Sir Colin Davis, James Levine, Giuseppe Sinopoli, and others), with the most important directors, as well as with the most renowned soloists of that time (Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Ileana Cotrubaş, Agnes Baltsa, and others) - is a well-known fact, and need not be repeated. Now, she wants and she truly can teach vocal music lessons…

Placido Domingo, Luciana Serra and James Levine

Therefore, completely enchanted and delighted, my reaction could only be one: to invite Luciana Serra in the studio of An Evening at the Opera! - for a special edition of an hour and a half, on Tuesday, 28^th of February, starting with 19.30, which you may listen to again on Saturday, 3^rd of March, at 19.00, followed by a few selections of her most representative recordings.

Hence, remember: this week you will be presented with an extra Evening at the Opera and an event-encounter with… the Italian soprano Luciana Serra, and I, yours truly…