Artist of the Week: Teresa Iervolino

By Francisco Salazar
(Credit: Paolo Conserva)

The Festival Valle d’Itria is well known for presenting obscure, neglected, or rarely performed works and always explores diverse themes. This year the festival’s theme is “Fiat Lux” meaning a new beginning. Among the program this year are works by Scarlatti and Haydn. There will also be a production of Porporra’s “L’Angelica,” a serenata from 1720. The work will star a cast of known early music interpreters including Teresa Iervolino.

The Italian mezzo-soprano will perform the role of Orlando, a new role in her growing early repertoire. Iervolino is well-known for performing early music singing repertoire from Cavalli, Cimarosa, Handel, and Vivaldi. This will be her first work by Porporra.

The production will also mark her return to the Festival Valle’ d’Itria where she debuted and triumphed in a production of “Rinaldo” in 2018. OperaWire called her interpretation, “compelling and expressive.”

Audiences who are not in Italy will get to discover the work and hear the mezzo-soprano through Rai Radio3 during the premiere of the work.

Born in Rome, the mezzo-soprano competed and won at the Giovani cantanti lirici d’Europa 2012 ASLICO and the Concorso Maria Caniglia. She has since performed at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Salzburg Festival, Rossini Opera Festival, Spoleto Festival, Teatro Regio di Torino, Bilbao Opera, Teatro La Fenice, Bayerische Staatsoper, and the Dutch National Opera, among others.

This season, Iervolino is slated to perform at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in a production of “Norma,” at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in a production of “L’Amico Fritz,” and at the English National Opera in a production of “Partenope.”

Recordings

For those not familiar with Iervolino, she has several recordings including “Partenope” for Erato, Mozart’s “Betulia liberata,” Handel’s “Rinaldo” from the Valle d’Itria, and Salieri’s “Armida.” Iervolino can also be seen in a video recording of “Semiramide,” “Linda di Chamonix,” and “Ermione.” 

Here is the mezzo-soprano alongside Jessica Pratt in “Semiramide.”

You can watch her here in “Linda di Chamonix.”

 

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