WANTED: Il Commendatore
Would you like to rise as a ghost and scare your own murderer? We are looking specifically for the bass role as Il Commendatore in the opera Don Giovanni at our Summer Academy Opera by the Fjord in June. APPLICATION DEADLINE: 23 FEBRUARY
One of the three operas this year's academy students will work on during the Summer Academy Opera by the fjord 21-29 June is Don Giovanni by Mozart. In the about one hour-long extract from this both humorous and dramatic piece, we will follow the last days in the life of the cynical seducer Don Giovanni.
Looking for bass singer between 18-35 years
The application deadline for the other singers was in December, but Bergen National Opera is now specifically looking for a bass singer between 18-35 years who can interpret the role of Il Commendatore. In addition to being one of the soloists in Don Giovanni, the singer will also get to perform a self-chosen aria.
Legendary scenes
Il Commendatore is Donna Anna's father, and is murdered by Don Giovanni in Act 1, but then reappears as a ghost in Act 2 – where he sends the sinner Don Giovanni straight to hell. If you have seen the famous movie Amadeus, you probably remember the legendary tones when the tomb statue of Il Commendatore tears down the wall and rises from the dead - to call for Don Giovanni. The film also shows the parallels between Mozart's own late father Leopold and the furious Commendatore.
In this clip from The Metropolitan Opera in New York you can see the dramatic scene when Il Commendatore (here: the bass Alexander Tsymbalyuk) appears for Don Giovanni and his servant Leporello. And note: In the role as Don Giovanni is baritone Peter Mattei from Sweden, who will coach the song students on this years academy, together with among others Solveig Kringlebotn and the German Wagner-singer Albert Dohmen:
Deadline for Il Commendatore: February 23 (2025)
Please use the application form on the international portal Muvac (link). Please not that the application deadline for the other singers was in December. For all orchestra instruments (except flute and clarinet) the deadline is February 2.
Here on our homepage you can find detailed information about our Summer Academy Opera by the Fjord 2025 (link).
PHOTO: The British bass Clive Bayley as Il Commendatore back in 2015, in Bergen National Opera's production of Don Giovanni in Grieghallen. (Photografer: Magnus Skrede)
