L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano affinity is good and having these elements in place is the best way to reach the highest level of per- formance. Also, there is a con- nection with the audience and how they are enjoying the music and, therefore, they are enjoying you!" Th e S an Fran cis co Bay A rea I talian commu n ity is deeply connected to their Ital- ian roots. When you visit us, do you get a sense of that connec- tion? "I am here to say that espe- cially in this opera house the legacy with the Italian opera is strong and goes back in history. Gaetano Merola founded the opera in San Francisco in 1923 and was its first general director so the legacy with the Italian repertoire is very strong and you can feel that. "I can also feel a connection especially this year because I am staying in an apartment in North Beach. It's the first of the four visits that I am living in North Beach and I can feel the Italian- ità. With so many Italian restau- rants, I can see the community is very strong. I did a lecture at the Italian Cultural Ins titute on August 27 and the audience was full of Italians that came to listen to me talk about Donizetti. It was very interesting to introduce the audience to this somewhat lesser known composer and it was well received. I have also recognized that there are many successful Italians living and working here in the Bay Area." At your recent Italian Cul- and Chicago. The Maestro has also led many illustrious orches- tras in Europe and Asia, such as  the M aggio M us icale Fiorentino, Rome's Accademia di Santa Cecilia, London's Phil- harmonia Orchestra, the Bavari- an State Opera Orchestra, ORF Radio Symphony of Vienna, Wiener S ymphoniker, S taat- skapelle Dresden, Tokyo Sym- phony O rches tra and Tokyo Philharmonic. When as ked about his upcoming schedule and future plans, the Maestro shared, "Now my first goal is to do the com- plete Verdi catalog." He adds that he looks forward to this year's third edition of the Donizetti Opera, the internation- al festival dedicated to the com- pos er from Bergamo, w hich takes place from November 21 to December 2, 2018. "I have been named the Music Director and I can give my contribution in rediscovering his operas, a 'Donizetti Renaissance.' " Riccardo Frizza currently lives in Brescia, Italy, with his wife, Spanish opera soprano, Davinia Rodriguez, and their daughter, Sofia. For more information about the F ondazione D onizetti in Bergamo and the festival, go to their w ebs ite at http://www.donizetti.org/fd2016/ festival-2018. For an in depth look at Riccardo Frizza and his art, vis it his w ebs ite at http://www.riccardofrizza.com. tural Institute presentation, you shared your passion for the culinary arts. Tell us more about that. "My work takes me all over the world, travelling for months, so I found going to a restaurant every day was not ideal for me. It was then that I began cooking and found that it is very close to conducting. It is similar because, in both cases, you create and each time the results are a bit different. This is similar to con- ducting because at times the orchestra is different or some- times the singers are different, just like cooking. But each time, ultimately, you strive for the same result. You prepare, you gather all the ingredients and you create. They are both cre- ative arts. When you cook and when you create music, it's all in the details!" The Maestro's favorite dish to prepare is risotto and L'Italo A mericano w as pleas ed to receive much appreciated advice as to the best way to prepare this quintessential Italian dish. You were born in Brescia, grew up in a nearby country- side village, and became inter- ested in music at such an early age. What brought you from playing piano as a child to the top of your field now, as an adult? "At the beginning, at age five or s ix, I w as taking piano lessons and was enjoying being able to play something well. The ability to play for people who clearly enjoyed it gave me ener- gy to keep going. During my teenage years, with the distrac- tions that come at that age, my family w as very important because they kept me focused, supporting me and keeping me going. By the time I attended the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, it became easier because it was as if we were "eating the same food" meaning we were all immersed in the same artistic environment. When I was younger, I was actually a pianist and so a very important s tep w as w hen I decided to become a conductor. Although piano had been my instrument, I then discovered the orchestra as my instrument. One of the firs t pieces of mus ic played by an orchestra I listened to was Mozart's Requiem. It was a cassette given to me in the 1980s. I became fascinated. I didn't decide I wanted to be a conductor until I was 14, when I went to Vienna with my family for Easter vacation. We went to S teph ans dom (S t. S tephen's Cathedral) where the orchestra was playing Mozart. The con- ductor left such an impression on me and it was right there that I decided I wanted to be a con- ductor, too." After serving as Music Direc- tor to the Symphonic Orchestra of Brescia from 1994 to 2000, it was in 2001 that Frizza launched his international career with breakthrough performances at two Italian festivals. Today, he is a leading exponent of Italian repertoire, collaborating with the who's who of today's most icon- ic singers at opera houses from Milan's Teatro alla Scala to the M etropolitan O pera in N ew York and also in Paris, Houston Frizza conducting at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. Courtesy of Riccardo Frizza SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY "When I was younger" Frizza says " I had the piano as my instrument. Then I learnt that the orchestra itself could become my instrument." © Joan Tomas - Fidelio Artist (1) Continued from page 28

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