Gianluca Marcianò launches the Al Bustan Festival Orchestra for the 2016 festival in Lebanon marking

Shakespeare’s 400th Anniversary

16 February – 20 March 2016 Al Bustan Hotel, Beyt Meri, Lebanon http://albustanfestival.com/whats-on/festival-programme/

Artistic Director Gianluca Marcianò has founded The Al Bustan Festival Orchestra to play in the 2016 festival in Lebanon, opening on Tuesday 16 February. Faced with several international orchestras pulling out of the 2016 Al Bustan Festival due to the unrest in the Levant, Marcianò decided to create a new orchestra from scratch through his Facebook network. He put out a call to his colleagues across the globe and within 48 hours he had created a new Orchestra with 70 musicians. Marcianò was overwhelmed by the response from his colleagues who were determined to see classical music continue to flourish in Lebanon and volunteered to come to Beirut for the inauguration of the new Orchestra. The Al Bustan Festival Orchestra will assemble three days in advance to the inauguration in order to prepare for the opening concert of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They continue the Shakespeare theme with performances of Otello vs Otello and Romeo and Juliet. Ernesto Miramontes Alvarez who is travelling from Mexico to join the orchestra put fears aside stating that “it’s all about the music”. The orchestra is made up of musicians from all over the world, including Egypt, Tunisia, Armenia, Moscow, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Spain, Lebanon, the UK and Mexico. The creation of the Orchestra was inspired by the 24/04 Orchestra which was made up of musicians from across the world to perform in a concert to park the centenary of the Armenian Genocide. As Marciano explains: “Finally my dream to form our own orchestra came true thanks to many wonderful friends who accepted my invitation. It was a call from musician to musician to share the beautiful feeling of making music together”

Artistic Director Gianluca Marcianò and President Myrna Bustani have devised the 2016 Al Bustan Festival on the theme of Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary running from 16 February to 20 March. Located at the Al Bustan Hotel in the tranquil hills above Beirut, the Festival was founded 22 years ago to introduce Lebanese audiences to classical music through the world’s leading artists. The Festival has hosted the Middle Eastern premieres of several operas and other works, including the first Wagner opera production and last year a moving performance of Bellini’s Norma conducted by Marcianò. Maya Jaggi wrote in The Guardian: “His conviction that music has a role in the aftermath of war gained credence from a powerfully cathartic performance of Norma. Many were in tears…but the emotive crux was the priestess [Carmen Giannattasio] who pulls back from the brink, realizing that that the pursuit of vendetta is a crime against the innocent.” As Gianluca Marcianò explains: “I have worked in many countries which have been blighted by conflict and in these places music can be a unifying force especially when there are difficult relations with neighbours and different religions living together – and normal people respect that.” Following a visit from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in January to Lebanon, the 2016 Festival focuses on Shakespeare’s legacy to music, with operatic extracts and orchestral works by Beethoven, Verdi, Berlioz, Gounod, Bellini, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev including lesser-known works by Rossini, Korngold, Elgar, Medtner and Smetana. Extracts from Verdi’s rendition of Otello is juxtaposed alongside Rossini’s rarely performed opera in Marciano’s programme Otello versus Otello. Marcianò leads the new Al Bustan Festival Orchestra, which is formed by 65 musicians from over 24 different countries on the occasion of this year’s festival, in further performances of Mendelssohn’s full incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream alongside Smetana’s symphonic poem Richard III. Mezzo-soprano Sophie Goldrick will join Marcianò as a soloist both in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Otello versus Otello, alongside Hye-Youn Lee, Fiona Hymns, Ji Min Park, Sergey Romanovsky, Valerai Sepe, Kristian Benedikt, Nikoloz Lagvilava, Irina Makarova, Gianluca Buratto and homegrown Lebanese tenor Bechara Moufarej.

Following their stunning performance of Norma in last year’s festival, The State Youth Orchestra of Armenia return for more Shakespeare-inspired rarities including Elgar’s Falstaff and Berlioz’ Overture to King Lear. Alexei Volodin presents a piano recital programme including Medtner’s Four Tales based on King Lear. There will be a Japanese Noh theatre production - Do you Noh Shakespeare? King Lear Dreaming - with Naohiko Umewaka, an acclaimed Noh master who has performed for the Pope. With Andy Sheppard and friends, there will also be a jazz reinterpretation of songs from Shakespeare’s plays, as well as more traditional performances including Beethoven’s Tempest Piano Sonata and music from Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. Further highlights include concerts with a wide range of outstanding soloists including cellist Giovanni Sollima in a programme ranging from Marais to his own works, violinist Alexandra Soumm, pianist Gloria Campaner and violinist Renaud Capucon. Mario Pietrodarchi on bandoneon presents a programme of music by Vivaldi, Piazzola and Lebanese film composer Khaled Mouzanar and the Georgian Philharmonic with Jury Revich perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons alongside Piazzola’s, appealing programmes to draw in new audiences to classical music. Set in a quiet suburb on a picturesque hillside overlooking Lebanon’s vibrant capital, the Al Bustan Festival presents an annual programme of world-class music, dance and theatre – the most innovative and high-profile music festival in the Levant. Enterprising Myrna Bustani, Lebanon’s first female Member of Parliament, founded the Festival in February 1994 as the Middle East’s most high-profile platform for international classical virtuosi, symphony orchestras and opera companies. Bustani received an IAMA Award in 2014 for her valuable work and dedication to promoting music in the Middle East through the Al Bustan Festival for the last two decades. The festival takes place in the Emile Bustani Auditorium and the Crystal Garden conservatory at the Al Bustan Hotel in Beyt Meri and at some of Lebanon’s historic churches. A few minutes walk from the hotel, there is an ancient archaeological site with Roman ruins, thermal baths and Byzantine mosaics. The Al Bustan Festival has enjoyed 22 years of the highest quality music making. Over the years, the Festival has invited artists such as Maria Ewing, Angelika Kirschlager, Evelyn Glennie, Helikon Opera, the Jacques Loussier Trio, Irek Mukhamedov, June Anderson, the Labeque sisters, Sumi Jo, Gautier Capuçon, Emmanuel Pahud, Anna Tifu, Boris Berezovsky, Antonio Meneses, Vadim Repin, Gidon Kremer, Antoni Wit and the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The Festival has a history of commissioning contemporary

composers such as John Taverner, Naji Hakim and Roxanna Panufnik. Presenting around 30 performances each year spanning opera, dance, orchestral and chamber music over five weeks, with additional workshop and educational programmes for the Lebanese National Conservatoire, it provides a further draw to visit Lebanon’s capital in a country already brimming with historic sites from the Assyrians to Ancient Romans, to the glories of Baalbek. “In spite of decades of unrest, Beirut remains a fascinating city to visit and the Al Bustan Festival has presented itself as a beacon of

hope and a sign of cultural continuity” Opera Now

“Al Bustal remains an accessible classical music event for

Lebanese and visitors alike” Royal Wings Beirut

2016 Al Bustan Festival Programme

Tuesday 16 & Thursday 18 February MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Smetana Richard III, Symphonic Poem op. 11 Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream    Fiona Hymns soprano  Sophie Goldrick mezzo-soprano  Antonine University Women’s Choir Al Bustan Festival Orchestra Gianluca Marciano conductor  Friday 19 February REFINED SONATAS Dvořák In Nature’s Realm. Op.91 Nino Rota Suite: La Strada, Il Padrino, Amarcord, Il clown, Otto e mezzo Roberto Molinelli Heart of Spring, Stormy Winter Dvořák New World Symphony No.9 op.95 Alissa Margulis violin Lily Maisky piano Sunday 21 February and Tuesday 23 OTELLO VERSUS OTELLO Rossini Otello

Hye-Youn Lee Desdemona Sophie Goldrick Emilia Ji Min Park Otello Sergey Romanovsky Roderigo Bechara Moufarej Iago Verdi Otello Valeria Sepe Desdemona Sophie Goldrick Emilia Kristian Benedikt Otello Nikoloz Lagvilava Iago The Al Bustan Festival Orchestra Gianluca Marciano conductor Monday 22 February MO-ZULU-ART Assembly Hall, A.U.B. Uthando based on Sonate D Dur , W.A. Mozart, KV 311 Zungikhumbule based on Sonate A Dur , W.A. Mozart, KV 331 Bheka Kimi based on Rondo D Dur , W.A. Mozart, KV 485 Inzima L´endlela Gospel traditional arranged by MoZuluArt Acappella Song Tba Hard Times based on Menuett F Dur, J. Haydn, Hob VII:F1 Akungitshele words & music by B.Z.N. Nkomo Masiyeni based on Fantasie D Moll, W.A. Mozart, KV 397 Emakhaya words & music by B.Z.N. Nkomo Igquiha Xhosa traditional arranged by MoZuluArt Thula Sizwe Gospel traditional arranged by MoZuluArt Phakathi based on “In diesen heil`gen Hallen”, KV 620, Die Zauberflöte Ramadu vocals and percussion Vasu Mkhaya Ndlovu, Blessings Nqo Nkomo, Dumisani Moyo vocals Balaz Schwartz, Katharina Henriquez violin Michael Buchmann viola Roland Guggenbichler piano Tuesday 23 February OTELLO VERSUS OTELLO (as above) Thursday 25 February ROMEO AND JULIET Saint Joseph’s Church Gounod Roméo et Juliette, ballet music ‘Que fais-tu, blanche tourterelle?’ ‘Ah! Leve-toi, soleil!’ Berlioz Roméo et Juliette Prokofiev ‘Montagues and Capulets’ from Romeo and Juliet Suite no. 2

Irina Makarova mezzo-soprano Sergey Romanovsky tenor Gianluca Buratto bass Antonine University Choir Al Bustan Festival Orchestra Gianluca Marciano conductor Monday 29 February DO YOU NOH SHAKESPEARE: KING LEAR DREAMING Naohiko Umewaka director and actor Soraya Umewaka, Naotomo Umewaka actor Eric Ferrand-N’Kaoua piano Anne Marie Salame narrator Tuesday 1 March CELLO AND VIOLIN ROMANCE Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in D minor Haydn Cello Concerto Vivaldi Double Concerto Purcell Orchestral Suite from The Fairy Queen Alexandra Soumm violin Victor-Julien-Laferrière cello Georgian Philharmonic Strings Gianluca Marciano conductor Wednesday 2 March SHAKESPEARE SONGS TRIO (jazz) Crystal Garden Andy Sheppard saxophone Guillaume de Chassy piano Christophe Marguet drums Delphine Lanson narrator Thursday 3 March SURPRISE CONCERT Ennio Morricone Three Themes (Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, Mission, C’era una volta il west) Vivaldi Concert for Guitar and Orchestra in D major Piazzolla “Hommage to Liege” for Bandoneon, Guitar and Orchestra Joaquin Rodrigo Adagio of the Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra Roberto Di Marino Myrna (1 esecution in the world) Khaled Mouzanar The seventh day “Maserati” Roberto Di Marino Double Concerto for Bandoneon, Guitar and Orchestra

Mario Pietrodarchi bandoneon Luca Lucini guitar Rony Barrak percussion Georgian Philharmonic Strings Gianluca Marciano conductor Friday 4 March ARTEMANDOLINE Sursock Museum Brescianello Sinfonia n. 5 Allegro- Adagio- Allegro Scarlatti Sonata K90 Grave- Allegro- Siciliana- Allegro Matteis Ciaccona Vivaldi Concerto in re minore RV 541 Evaristo Felice dall’Abaco Concerto a più instrumenti op.5 Paolucci Sonata VI per due mandolini e basso Leone Sonata VI, book 2 Vivaldi Concerto in sol maggiore RV532 Juan Carlos Munoz, Mari Fe Pavón, Alla Tolkacheva baroque mandolin Manuel Munoz baroque guitar Jean-Daniel Haro viola da gamba Jean-Christophe Leclère harpsichord Saturday 5 March THE VIOLIN STAR Bach Violin Concerto Nos. 1 & 2 Renaud Capuçon violin/conductor Georgian Philharmonic Strings Sunday 6 March THE POWER OF A VOICE Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 17 in D minor, ‘The Tempest’ Songs of Rachmaninov, Duparc, Faure, De Falla and Takrakishvili Anita Rachvelishvili mezzo-soprano David Aladashvili piano Monday 7 March ANITA AND FRIENDS Massenet Dulcinèe’s Aria from Don Quichotte Bizet extract from Carmen Astor Piazzolla Rinascerò, Oblivion, Maria de Buenos Aires Kancheli Don’t call me and Yellow Leaves from movie Mimino, Land of Flowers Gershwin Summertime, I loves you Porgy from Porgy and Bess

Sondheim Ladies who lunch form musical Company, Everybody says Don’t from musical “anyone can whistle ” Tsabadze the wheel of destiny from Musica “the melodies of Vera District” Anita Rachvelishvili mezzo-soprano Mario Stephano Pietrodarchi bandoneon David Shamanauri trumpet Georgian Philharmonic Strings Nikoloz Rochveli piano/conductor Wednesday 9 March Vivaldi The Four Seasons Piazzolla The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires Yury Revich violin/conductor Georgian Philharmonic Strings Thursday 10 March Mar Sassine Church, Beyt Meri Marais Suite in D minor from Pieces de violes, Deuxieme livre Debussy Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune Vinko Jelic Ricercar Tertio Giovanni Sollima The Interpretation of Dreams, The wood, Madre, Figlio, Natura, Acheronte, movevo, aqua (il sogno di Leonardo), Virginia Woolf, il flusso di coscienza, The dangerous prevalence of imagination, Du Bist Wie Eine Blume (Robert e Clara Shumann), Frida’s dream?, Calamity Jane Giovanni Sollima & Monica Leskovar cello Sunday 13 March CARTOONS CONCERT Music from Tom and Jerry, Madagascar, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, Pocahontas, Aladdin, Kung Fu Panda, The Pink Panther, Cinderella, How to Train the Dragon, Anastasia, Monsters, The Prince of Egypt, Happy Feet 2, Lion King, The Emperor’s New Groove State Youth Orchestra of Armenia Sergey Smbatyan conductor Tuesday 15 March AN ELECTRIFYING CONCERT Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante Mussorgsky (orch. Ravel) Pictures at an Exhibition Edgar Moreau cello State Youth Orchestra of Armenia Sergey Smbatyan conductor

Wednesday 16 March PIANO RECITAL Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet: Ten Pieces for Piano, Op.75 Mendelssohn (arr Sergei Rachmaninov) Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream Medtner From Four Tales, Op.35: No. 4 in C-sharp minor: Based on King Lear: “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks” Rachmaninov Sonata for Piano No. 1, Op. 28 Alexei Volodin piano Thursday 17 March THE SOUND OF GUARNERI Berlioz Overture to ‘King Lear’ Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 2 Elgar Falstaff, Symphonic Study in C minor op. 68 Leticia Moreno violin State Youth Orchestra of Armenia Gianluca Marciano conductor Saturday 19 March ONLY BEETHOVEN Beethoven Coriolanus Overture Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, ‘Emperor’ Symphony no. 5 in C minor Gloria Campaner piano State Youth Orchestra of Armenia Gianluca Marciano conductor Sunday 20 March GRAND FINALE Bellini Overture to ‘I Capuleti e Montecchi’ Bellini Eccomi in lieta vesta from ‘I Capuleti e Montecchi’ Gounod Ballet Music from ‘Romeo et Juliette’ Gounod Je veux vivre from ‘Romeo et Juliette’ Verdi Macbeth Letter scene Tchaikovsky Hamlet Fantasy Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture Korngold Much ado about nothing Anna Kasyan soprano State Youth Orchestra of Armenia Gianluca Marciano conductor

Gianluca Marciano – Artistic Director

Energetic Italian conductor Gianluca Marcianò is Principal Guest Conductor of the Armenian State Opera in Yerevan as well as Artistic Director of the Al Bustan Festival in Beirut. With a clear sense for diplomacy having studied politics, he has managed to bring music to the most varied corners of the world. Previous posts have included the Tbilisi State Opera & Ballet Theatre in Georgia where he conducted La Forza del Destino, Cavalleria Rusticana, Nabucco, Attila, Il Trovatore, Mitridate, Re di Ponto and Aida, as well as concerts with Andrea Bocelli in Georgia.

Recent highlights within the 2015/16 season include a return to the Opera de Oviedo in October to conduct a new production of Nabucco by director Emilio Sagi, touring to Pamplona as well. In December Marcianò conducted Verdi’s Ernani at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre before travelling to Pisa to conduct Aida at the Teatro Verdi in January 2016. He made his debut appearance with the Tokyo New City Orchestra for their New Year’s concert. Much of Marcianò’s operatic work in the UK has centred around ENO, Grange Park Opera and Longborough Festival. He has returned to Grange Park each year for the past 5 years conducting Eugene Onegin, Samson et Dalila, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, I Puritani and La traviata as well as a gala concert with Simon Keenlyside and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. At ENO, Marcianò has conducted revivals of Jonathan Miller’s production of La bohème and of Anthony Minghella’s Madame Butterfly. He has also conducted at Longborough Festival Opera (Die Zauberflöte, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan Tutte and La traviata) and the Chelsea Opera Group (Manon Lescaut, La traviata, La Favorite and Alzira). Marcianò also has strong ties with the opera houses in Zagreb, Minsk, Sassari and Prague. During his time in Zagreb as the main conductor, he conducted Nabucco, La traviata, Turandot, Carmen, La Cenerentola and Il Barbiere di Siviglia. In Minsk, he has performed Il Barbiere di Siviglia and La traviata, and at the Teatro Verdi in Sassari, La Pietra del Paragone, Poulenc's Les mamelles de Tirésias and the Italian premiere of Debussy's La Damoiselle Elue. In 2011 he conducted La traviata at the Prague State Opera. On the concert platform, Marcianò has worked with instrumentalists such as Gautier Capuçon, Steven Isserlis, Khatia Buniatishvili, Sergei Krylov, Nina Kotova and Denis Kozhukin. His recent work includes concerts with the George Enescu Philharmonic and the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he performed Mahler's Symphony No.1 in 2011. He has a close relationship with the English Chamber Orchestra, opening their 2011/12 London season in a programme including Mozart’s Symphony No.39 and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No.2 at the Cadogan Hall. Other notable orchestras which Marcianò has conducted include the Moscow City Russian Philharmonic, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the English National Opera, the Oviedo Filarmonia, the Sarajevo Philarmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, the State

Youth Orchestra of Armenia, The World Orchestra, the Macau Orchestra and Beijing Symphony Orchestra.

http://www.gianlucamarciano.com

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