Aleksandrs Antoņenko (born 26 June 1975) is a Latvian tenor who specializes in the

dramatic Dramatic may refer to: * Drama, a literary form involving parts for actors * Dramatic, a voice type classification in European classical music, describing a specific vocal weight and range at the lower end of a given voice part * Dramatic soprano, ...

repertoire, and has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera and

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

Biography

Aleksandrs Antoņenko was born in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

to a large family. Already in childhood, he showed an aptitude for music. In 1998, he graduated from the

Latvian Academy of Music Latvian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Latvia **Latvians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to what is modern-day Latvia and the immediate geographical region **Latvian language, also referred to as Lettish **Latvian cuisine **Latv ...

, in the class of wind instruments, and in parallel began vocal lessons under Margarita Gruzdeva. She identified him as a tenor, although many believed that the voice of Aleksandrs was a bass-baritone. Antoņenko considers his teacher as his "second mother" and continues to take lessons from her. He also studied at the vocal department of the Academy of Music in the class of Arvid Luste. In 1997, he began singing in the choir of the Latvian National Opera. In 1998, he made his solo debut as Oberto in

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's opera, '' Alcina''. Antoņenko works without an impresario, having only an Austrian agent.

Career

Aleksandrs Antoņenko won the Paul Sacher Prize in 2002, and then a Great Music award 2004 at home, in Latvia, for opera productions and a performance of the Verdi Requiem. In 2006, he made his debut as Chevalier des Grieux in ''

Manon Lescaut ''The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut'' ( ) is a novel by Antoine François Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of ''Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité'' (''Memoirs and Adventures of a Ma ...

'' at the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern side ...

and the Norwegian Opera, as well as at the Vienna State Opera. In the season 2006–2007, the singer performed the role of Don José in the Norwegian State Opera (Oslo), Turiddu at the German Opera (Berlin) and the

Monte Carlo Opera Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * Mont ...

, and sang the role of Mario Cavaradossi at the festival in Baden-Baden. The tenor has also sung the roles of Gabriel Adorno ('' Simon Boccanegra'') at the

Frankfurt Opera The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt. Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Shrek's ''Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, '' Fennimore und Gerda'' by Frede ...

and Ismail in '' Nabucco'' at the Bavarian State Opera. In the role of Otello, Antoņenko made his debut in the production conducted by Riccardo Muti at the Salzburg Festival in the summer of 2008. He then performed this role at the

Rome Opera House The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...

. He debuted on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera as the Prince in ''

Rusalka In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalky/rusalki; ; pl, rusałka}) is a typically feminine entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water, with counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as the French Melus ...

'' in 2009, with Renée Fleming. In 2010, he was seen as Hermann in '' The Queen of Spades'' and Otello at the Vienna State Opera, performed the role of Turiddu in '' Cavalleria rusticana'' in Valencia, and the Pretender in a new production of ''

Boris Godunov Borís Fyodorovich Godunóv (; russian: Борис Фёдорович Годунов; 1552 ) ruled the Tsardom of Russia as ''de facto'' regent from c. 1585 to 1598 and then as the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. After the end of his ...

'' at the Metropolitan Opera. In 2011, Maestro Muti invited Antoņenko to perform ''Otello'' at the Opéra Garnier in Paris, accompanied by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He also appeared in a new production of ''

Il tabarro ''Il tabarro'' (''The Cloak'') is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on 's play ''La houppelande''. It is the first of the trio of operas known as ''Il trittico''. The first performance was given ...

'' at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

. He continued his collaboration with the Swedish Royal Opera, where he took part in a new production of Puccini's '' La fanciulla del West''. Notable other appearances include a 2012 performance in ''Tosca'', as Cavaradossi, at

. In the same year, he was seen as Otello at the Royal Opera House in London. In 2013, he appeared in the role of Radames in '' Aida'' at the Zurich Opera House. He followed that performance by appearing as Manrico in '' Il trovatore'' at the

Berlin State Opera The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...

. He has also performed in '' Turandot'' as Calaf at La Scala. Also in 2013, he appeared in the role of Ismaele in

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's opera '' Nabucco'', conducted by

Nicola Luisotti Nicola Luisotti (born 26 November 1961, in Viareggio, Italy) is an Italian conductor. He currently holds the title "Director Principal Invitado" (principal guest conductor) of Madrid's Teatro Real. Biography Luisotti grew up in Bargecchia. He ...

at the Scala. In 2014, he appeared in '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...

''. He also received an invitation to star in a new production at the Metropolitan Opera of ''Otello'', which opened the 2015–2016 season. The production was notable within American opera circles due to the Met's decision to abandon their tradition of

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

for the role of Otello. Other Antoņenko's performances include '' Norma'' at the Bavarian State Opera, ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887. Th ...

'' at Barcelona's Liceu and Zürich Opera House, and ''

'' at Covent Garden. In the season of 2019–2020, he was again at the Metropolitan, portraying the role of Radames in ''Aida'', with

Anna Netrebko Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (russian: Анна Юрьевна Нетребко; born 18 September 1971) is an Austrian operatic soprano with an active international career and performed prominently at the Salzburg Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Vienna ...

Performances

*''

'' - Prince *'' Aida'' - Radames *'' Il trovatore'' - Manrico *'' Turandot'' - Calaf *''

'' - Otello *''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'' - Don Jose *''

'' - Canio *'' La fanciulla del West'' - Dick Johnson *'' Tosca'' - Cavaradossi *''

'' - Luigi *'' Norma'' - Pollione *'' Cavalleria rusticana'' - Turiddu *'' Samson et Dalila'' - Samson *''

'' - Pretender

References

External links

Aleksandrs AntoņenkoAleksandrs Antoņenko
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonenko, Aleksandrs 1975 births Living people Musicians from Riga Latvian tenors Latvian people of Belarusian descent Latvian people of Ukrainian descent 21st-century Latvian male opera singers