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New on the Horizon
From Festspiele magazine (Johannes Ifkovits), 2 2007
Translated by Janet Woodall
The Canadian baritone is prepared for Salzburg. In 2004 he gave a guest performance as Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte under Sir Simon Rattle at the Easter Festival and last year he sang in the concert version of Handel’s Ariodante. But this year he’ll crown his career at the Salzburg Festival with his opera debut as Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro. “I always wanted to be involved in the town of Mozart’s birth and get a chance to perform here”, the Canadian is now seeing his dream fulfilled.
Gerald Finley has his career firmly established. He received his education at Ottawa University, Canada, in Great Britain at the Royal College of Music, at King’s College Cambridge, and at the National Opera Studio with support from the Friends of Covent Garden and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust. He made his debut as Sid in Britten’s Albert Herring at the festival in Glyndebourne, sang Papageno in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte and the title role in Le nozze di Figaro at the opening of the new festival House at Glyndebourne in 1994.
Engagements for this family man, a father of two boys, continued at the Teatro Regio, Parma, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Parisian Opera. He achieved an extraordinary success at the Lyric Opera in Chicago as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, the American press were full of praise. Today, this Montreal-born Canadian has made an international name for himself, and has matured to be one of the leading singers and dramatic interpreters of his generation.
Every time that this ‘Briton-by-choice’ travels from his current home in Sussex, in the South of England, to Salzburg, the panoramic views, the ensemble of steep mountains, and the baroque cityscape overwhelm him. Here he likes not only to explore the city but also to discover the surrounding country with its beautiful lakes together with his family.
Gerald Finley has sung the role of Count Almaviva already in Amsterdam, Paris and London. Often enough to more than just pass in Salzburg. In addition he has seen the DVD of last year’s new production by Claus Goth, so he knows what to expect, and is delighted to finally make his opera debut at the Summer Festival.