An Evening of Operatic Arias

Teatru Manoel presents a unique evening of operatic arias performed by

Nico Darmanin, tenor

Elena Brazhnyk, soprano

Adrian Kelly, piano

Programme:

Languir per una bella

From L'Italiana in Algeri

Gioachino Rossini, libretto by Angelo Anelli

Nico Darmanin



Quel guardo il Cavaliere

From Don Pasquale

Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Giovanni Ruffini

Elena Brazhnyk



Caro Elisir

From L'Elisir d'Amore

Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Felice Romani

Nico Darmanin & Elena Brazhnyk



Una furtiva lagrima

From L'Elisir d'Amore

Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Felice Romani

Nico Darmanin



O luce di quest'anima

From Linda di Chamounix

Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Gaetano Rossi

Elena Brazhnyk



Da quel di che t'incontrai

From Linda di Chamounix

Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Gaetano Rossi

Nico Darmanin & Elena Brazhnyk



Spirito gentil

From La Favorita

Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Eugène Scribe

Nico Darmanin



Tornami a dir che m'ami

From Don Pasquale

Gaetano Donizetti, libretto by Giovanni Ruffini

Nico Darmanin & Elena Brazhnyk

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INTERVAL

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Ah non credea mirarti

From La Sonnambola

Vincenzo Bellini, libretto by Felice Romani

Elena Brazhnyk



Ah! perche non posso odiarti

From La Sonnambola

Vincenzo Bellini, libretto by Felice Romani

Nico Darmanin



Son geloso del sefiro errante

From La Sonnambola

Vincenzo Bellini, libretto by Felice Romani

Nico Darmanin & Elena Brazhnyk



Je suis Titania

From Mignon

Ambroise Thomas, libretto by Jules Barbier

Elena Brazhnyk



Ah leve toi soleil

from Romeo et Juliette

Charles Gounod, libretto by Jules Barbier

Nico Darmanin

Duration is 90 minutes including one interval.

Nico Darmanin

Since making his Royal Opera House debut in 2013 in Les Vepres Siciliennes under Pappano, Maltese tenor Nico Darmanin has established himself as a leading exponent of bel canto repertoire.

He returns to his beloved Malta and Teatru Manoel for this special performance of operatic arias together with soprano Elena Brazhnyk and accompanied on piano by conductor Adrian Kelly.

Nico Darmanin’s current and recent engagements include, among others, Conte Almaviva (Teatro la Fenice, Opera National de Lorraine, Welsh National Opera, Opera Holland Park), Don Ramiro (Scottish Opera, The Grange Festival), Ernesto (Opera de Dijon, Welsh National Opera, Estonian National Opera) Alfredo (Opera de Limoges, Opera North, Estonian National Opera), Conte Belfiore (Pesaro Rossini Festival), Don Ottavio (Opera de Bordeaux, Israeli Opera, Nederlandse Reisopera, Oper Vlaanderen) Italian Tenor in Rosenkavalier (Oper Vlaanderen), Le Comte Ory (Dorset Opera), and Rodrigo in Rossini’s Otello (Teatro Manoel, Valletta). On the concert platform, Nico has given recitals in the US and Canada as well as in Europe and has appeared as Nicias (Thais) and Osiride (Mose in Egitto) with Chelsea Opera Group. He also recently performed Raimbaud in Robert le Diable with Minkowski at the Opera National de Bordeaux, a performance that has just been released on disc. His other recordings include music by Arthur Sullivan and a disc of Massenet songs, both with Richard Bonynge. Future plans include engagements with Glyndebourne, his debut at the Teatro Regio in Turin, and a performance and recording of Bertin’s Fausto with the Theatre Champs Elysee.



Elena Brazhnyk

Soprano Elena Brazhnyk has studied chorus conducting at the Kiev National University of Culture and Arts (2002–2007, the class of A. Marhlevsky and N. Krechko) and singing at the National Tchaikovsky Music Academy of Ukraine (2007–2012, the class of E. Miroshnychenko and I. Semenenko). During her studies, she made her opera debut with the role of Marfa (Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Tsar’s Bride”). Elena Brazhnyk has participated in the master class of Vilma Vernocchi. In 2016, she debuted in the Estonian National Opera with the role of Gilda in Verdi’s “Rigoletto”. Since July 2022 she is a soloist of the Estonian National Opera. Elena is a finalist of the Klaudia Taev Singing Competition (2015), the laureate of the Harjumaa County Theatre Prize (2024) and the SEB Audience Award (2024).



Adrian Kelly

English conductor Adrian Kelly, who will be accompanying the singers, became a member of the Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden following his studies at the University of Cambridge, and was then a coach at the Hamburg State Opera. He is Artistic Director of the Buxton International Festival and Principal Guest Conductor at the Salzburger Landestheater, where he was previously Music Director. He has worked regularly at the Salzburg Festival and has also worked with conductors such as Antonio Pappano, Mark Elder, Peter Schneider, Nicola Luisotti, Philippe Jordan and Simone Young. He has been musical director of the Young Singers Project at the Salzburg Festival since 2015.