Italian tenor set for Israel gig, after coronavirus ‘silence’
Francesco Meli, who recovered from COVID-19, will perform arias and duets from popular Italian operas in honor of Italy’s Republic Day
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Italian opera tenor Francesco Meli will perform on May 29 in Tel Aviv’s Israeli Opera, marking Italy’s Republic Day which falls on June 2.
It will be one of Meli’s first performances outside of Italy since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. He contracted and recovered from the disease last year.
Meli will be accompanied in the Israeli performance by Italian pianist Davide Cavalli and Israeli soprano Veronika Brook. The trio will perform arias and duets from popular operas and beloved Italian songs, including “L’elisir d’amore” from Donizetti, an aria from “Tosca” by Puccini and two duets from “La traviata” by Verdi.
Meli, who performed regularly online throughout the pandemic, told Opera Wire that the pandemic began for him on February 23, 2020. He was having his makeup done for a performance of “Il Trovatore” when it was summarily canceled and everyone was sent home.
“Initially, I was expecting a closure of just a few weeks but, as time went by and projects started to be canceled, a kind of speechlessness began to permeate my life,” said Meli. “This prolonged silence due to a lack of stimulus affected my psyche and my voice.”
The May 29 performance will take place at 9 p.m., with tickets ranging in price from NIS 190 to NIS 350 ($58 to $107).
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