Among the purple bougainvillea, strains of music and celestial voices are to be heard in the grounds of a sumptuous villa of neo-classical design, which provides the scenery and stage. For the fifth consecutive year, “Music at the Heart” is staged in the gardens of Villa Eilenroc, and music lovers can enjoy fine opera in one of the most beautiful parks on the coast. In this 21st edition, Eve Ruggieri, creator and artistic director of the Festival, stages five operas that are the stuff of dreams.
The young soprano, Nathalie Manfrino, accompanied by the Nice Philharmonic orchestra conducted by Laurent Campellone, inaugurates this opera festival with a highly emotional medley of the most beautiful arias of the heroines of opera from La Traviata, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, Manon and Marguerite de Faust. Described by Eve Ruggieri as a singer “in the full bloom of her talent”, she launches her promising career here, like Roberto Alagana and Cecilia Bartoli before her, who made their début on the Antibes stage.
Highlights of the Festival are the two evenings dedicated to “Cosi Fan Tutte” by Mozart, a project dear to the heart of Eve Ruggieri who sees her vision come to life. Direction is by the highly creative Paul-Emile Fourny, director of Nice Opera. A wonderful cast has been selected for this famous Giocoso drama, which brings together the light tones of soprano Diana Higbee and the full tones and sparkle of mezzo-soprano Karine Deshayes, who was dazzling in her role as Zerlina in Don Giovanni at the Monte Carlo Opera. The charismatic baritone Nicolas Rivenq dons the robes of Don Alfonso, supported by the Cannes Provence Côte d’Azur Regional Orchestra, led by Benjamin Pionnier.
A new discovery at the Festival is the young Georgian soprano Anna Kasyan, winner of many prizes on the international scene, who performs “La Malibran”, accompanied by violinist Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian, pianist David Abramovitz and Eve Ruggieri herself, who relates the life story of the celebrated singer.
Last but not least, the music of the monumental Verdi Requiem rings out in all its glory in this magical setting and closes the Festival with much emotion, featuring the four great singers Cécile Perrin, Sylvie Brunet, Carlo Guido and Nicolas Cavallier with the Nice Opera choir and orchestra conducted by Marco Guidarini.
Due to the great success of this Festival which always attracts a loyal following, 200 seats have been added this year, bringing to 1,000 the number of music lovers who will find themselves spellbound by the human passion evoked through music and song.
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