Musical direction
Giampaolo Bisanti, Musical Director
Musical Director of our House since 2022, Giampaolo Bisanti studied conducting, clarinet, piano and composition. In the course of his career, he has won numerous competitions and, right from the start, was invited to perform in the greatest theatres.
In recent seasons, he has conducted numerous productions, including Rigoletto in Berlin, Madama Butterfly in Venice, Florence, Cagliari and Monte-Carlo, L’Elisir d’amore at the Opéra National de Paris, Lucia di Lammermoor at the Hamburg Staatsoper, Adriana Lecouvreur and Un Ballo in maschera at La Scala in Milan… Recent and future engagements include L’Elisir d’amore in Seattle, Il Trittico and Il Trovatore in Hamburg, Macbeth in Vienna, Werther and Verdi’s Requiem in Bari, Anna Bolena in Bilbao, Il Pirata in Amsterdam, Otello and Nabucco in Vienna, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at La Scala in Milan.
From 2016 to 2022, he was Music Director of the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari. In Liège, he has conducted Rigoletto, Anna Bolena, Alzira, La Sonnambula, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Rusalka and Falstaff, as well as several concerts including those with Plácido Domingo, Ermonela Jaho, Verdi’s Requiem and a tribute concert to Puccini. His upcoming projects include new productions of Benvenuto Cellini at the Semperoper in Dresden, Madama Butterfly at the Vienna Staatsoper, Adriana Lecouvreur at the Théâtre National du Capitole in Toulouse and Il cappello di paglia di Firenze at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, as well as Nabucco at the Vienna Staatsoper, Tosca at the Hamburg Staatsoper, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and La Scala in Milan, and Aida at Opera Australia in Sydney.
Dear friends,
As we embark on this third season together, we are crossing a new crucial milestone in the quest for innovation led by Stefano Pace, to which I am delighted to contribute. The programme we have carefully curated stands out for its refinement and the inclusion of several works that have been absent for many years. This ambition for renewal, combined with bold staging choices and the constant pursuit of the highest musical quality, lies at the heart of our artistic project.
The Orchestra, Chorus, and the entire technical and artistic team of the Theatre, through their talent and dedication, beautifully embody this transformation. The expansion of our repertoire, welcomed with enthusiasm and passion by our musicians and chorists, attests to this dynamic. The technical and musical complexity of the works scheduled for both the past season and the upcoming one has only strengthened their resolve, their hard work unfolding in an atmosphere of joy and contagious energy.
The integration of new talents into the Orchestra, following rigorous competitions, has breathed new life into our ensemble. This renewed energy contributes to achieving one of the goals I have set myself: to forge a unique and recognisable sound. The work that several musicians are carrying out in parallel, as part of a new series of chamber music concerts based on their own repertoire suggestions and instrumental combinations, also follows this direction. Playing together, even in small groups, allows for better acquaintance, harmonising one’s sound with that of colleagues, and is therefore extremely beneficial for the overall sound of the orchestra!
I also applaud the Direction’s desire to invite, alongside the regulars of our stage whom we always welcome back with pleasure, new personalities for their debuts in Liège. This season, we will host many artists who usually grace the world’s greatest stages: this approach aims to diversify and broaden the experience of our loyal audience, but also to attract new spectators and further establish the Opéra Royal de Wallonie- Liège among the leading European opera houses.
I would like to share with you one last thought on the decision to commission new compositions from young emerging composers on the international scene. It is always important to stimulate and make known the contemporary musical language and the forms of expression towards which we are heading today. In this regard, as a prelude to the developments expected in later seasons, the commission given to the extraordinary young conductor and composer Andrea Battistoni for a work in homage to Giacomo Puccini is promising: a combination of famous themes, unpublished material, and original pages read through the daily life of a modern thirty-something! A way to bring younger generations closer to a musical universe that is both captivating and rooted in symphonic tradition.
As the Musical Director of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie- Liège, I am thrilled about this adventure that we are writing together, reflecting our shared passion for opera and our uncompromising commitment to artistic excellence.