URŠKA KASTELIC HONOURING MARIA CALLAS (1923–1977)

Urška Kastelic, soprano
Stefan Pajanović, piano

Guests:
Blaž Gantar, tenor
Chan Young Kim, tenor
Benjamin Pregl, tenor

Programme:

Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924)
O mio babbino caro, Lauretta’s aria from Gianni Schicchi
O soave fanciulla, Mimi amd Rodolfo’s duet from La Bohème
Addio fiorito asil, Pinkerton’s aria from Madama Butterfly

Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)
È strano, è strano… Sempre libera, Violetta’s aria from La Traviata
Lunge da lei… De’ miei bollenti spiriti, Alfred’s aria from La Traviata
Parigi, o cara, Violetta and Alfred’s duet from La Traviata

Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875)
Intermezzo from Carmen
La fleur que tu m’avais jetée, Don José’s aria from Carmen

Franz Lehár (1870 – 1948), LLips are Silent, Hanna and Danilo’s duet from the operetta Merry Widow

Vincenzo Bellini (1801 – 1835), Casta diva, Norma’s aria from Norma

Giuseppe Verdi, Libiamo, ne’ lieti calici, a toast from La traviata

The centennial of the birth of Greek operatic diva Maria Callas will be honoured by a concert of renowned Slovenian soprano Urška Kastelic accompanied by pianist Stefan Pajanović guest tenorists Blaž Gantar, Chan Young Kim, and Benjamin Pregel, who will perform excerpts from operas with which maria Callas established herself as the foremost soprano in the history of opera.

Soprano Urška Kastelic graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana in the class of Sabina Cvilak. She continued to delve ever deeper into the art of operatic singing, having attended the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki (Outi Kähkonen) and learning from renowned singers and vocal pedagogues, such as Emma Kirkby, Mariana Nicolesco, Helena Lazarska, Vlatka Oršanić, Snežana Nena Brzaković and others.It wasn’t long before she won the hearts of audiences far and wide. She portrayed Félicie in the opera La Belle et la Bête (Phillip Glass), Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore), Venus (Orphée aux enfers), and Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana. She starred in Larry Coryell’s Anna Karenina and War and
Peace productions in Russia (Kaluga Philharmonic Hall), Croatia (Lisinski Hall, Zagreb) and Slovenia (Cankar Centre). She appeared in Rigoletto (Gilda), Don Pasquale (Norina), Le nozze di Figaro (Susanna), Bastien und Bastienne (Bastienne), Gorenjski slavček (Ninon), and the children’s opera Martin Krpan. She also took her song on the road, appearing in Italy, Finland, England, Montenegro, Croatia, Serbia, Austria, Greece, Germany, and Romania. Urška is a member of a unique and internationally acclaimed Slovenian early music ensemble Nova Schola Labacensis (concerts at Festival SEVIQC Brežice, Varaždin baroque evenings, etc.).