Moscow (Top40 Charts/ R.I.M. Porter Novelli) Annual worldwide opera contest "Operalia" ended last week in Verona, Italy . Of the thousands of young singers who applied for the competition, only twelve most talented performed in the finals. The voice of Aida Garifullina of Kazan was recognized as the best soprano.
"Operalia" is the brainchild of Placido Domingo , the outstanding tenor and member of the greatest trio of all times. Exactly 20 years ago, he founded the contest where the brightest young "pearls" are now selected for the best opera venues of the planet. Many of the winners of previous years such as Jose Cura , Ana
Maria Martinez , Joyce DiDonato , and
Giuseppe Filyanoti are now recognized as the world stars. Although nobody keeps tabs on this, it is agreed that "Operalia" bestows a new star upon every major opera house in the world.
The best opera houses of the Old and New Worlds including Paris , Milan , Madrid , Los Angeles , and Moscow took turns in hosting it.
This year the famous concert hall
Arena di
Verona was chosen as the venue for the 20th contest. Aida Garifullina decided to charm the audience of the ancient amphitheater by the carefully chosen arias of Nanette of "Falstaff", the Snow Maiden, and Suzanne of "The Marriage of Figaro." For the final, she picked
Juliet of "Montagues and Capulets," and, as it turned out, the choice proved to be absolutely correct. The voice and performance skills of the young Russian created a furor in the audience. The fragility of the girl and the charm of her youth as well as her incredible bel canto and the divine music of the Italian genius turned the night of the competition into the night of the greatest opera performance. Following the tradition, Maestro Domingo demonstrated his commitment to supporting young talents by taking the conductor's stand.
Representatives of Russia , the U.S., the UK, France , Romania , Ukraine , Belarus , South Korea , China and Mexico were competing for the main award. Their performances were followed by leading impresario, casting directors, managers and conductors of the world-famous theaters. Aida Garifullina's victory in the "Operalia" contest serves as proof of great opera traditions preservation in the country.
