The role of Carmen is one of the most iconic in the repertoire. It’s a role that most mezzos dream of performing for its famous arias and its complex heroine. This week mezzo-soprano Raffaella Lupinacci sings the title role for the first time in her career.

Lupinacci will bring her first interpretation of the title role to the prestigious Luglio Musicale Trapanese in a new production. The role comes after the rising star has made a career singing lyric roles and rarely performed repertoire. She has also made a career singing role debuts at major festivals like the Rossini Opera Festival, Festival da Valle d’Itra in Martina Franca, Wexford Festival Opera, and the Teatro Donizetti. In a recent review from Martina Franca, OperaWire raved about Lupinacci stating, the mezzo “was awash with color, that she varied with a great deal of skill, adding to her ability to inject meaning through her use of subtle accents.”  For audiences in Italy, this will be a chance to see the rising star in a star-making role.

The mezzo, who hails from Bologna studied at the Accademia Rossiniana di Pesaro and later went on to perform at the leading theaters in Italy including the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, and Fondazione Arena di Verona.

After “Carmen,” Lupinacci starts her 2019-20 season at the Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari singing Rosina in Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” and sings her first “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” in Seoul.

For more on Raffaella Lupinacci, here is our interview with the mezzo.

Recordings

For those not familiar with Lupinacci’s voice, the mezzo-soprano has a recording of Vaccaj’s “Giulietta e Romeo” from the Valle D’Itra festival in Martina Franca on Dynamic.  She is also on a DVD of “Aureliano in Palmira” from the Rossini Opera Festival and “Rosmonda d’Inghilterra” from the Fondazione Donizetti.  

Here is a clip from Rossini’s “Aureliano in Palmira”

and here is a clip of Rossini’s “La Cenerentola.”