(Credit: Courtesy of Franco Vassallo)

Franco Vassallo is set to make his role debut as Miller in Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” at the Festival Verdi of Parma.

Vassallo will star in a new production, directed by Lev Dodin and conducted by Roberto Abbado.

In a press statement the baritone noted, “In the gallery of the Verdi Fathers, Miller is a unique character, comparable only to Rigoletto, of which he is certainly a forerunner in the unconditional love for his daughter. He is not a man of power, he is carried away by drama, he does not create it. He is an upright person, wise, honest, all characteristics that I like thinking he shared with ‘Verdi man.’ His world is the sweetest one of paternal affection but also of the man firm in his own principles, proud of defending the dignity, the honor of the family facing an unfair and overbearing power. We are facing one of the greatest Verdi baritone roles where everything is required: extension of register, pathos and tragedy .”

The baritone joins a cast that includes Francesca Dotto, Amadhi Lagha and Riccardo Zanellato. Performances open on Sept. 28 and run through Oct. 19, 2019.