Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) has announced a late change to next week’s Trusts Community Foundation Opera in Concert, Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, taking place on Friday 14 July at Auckland Town Hall.
Unfortunately, due to illness, Italian Tenor Massimo Giordano will not be coming to New Zealand to take up the role of Des Grieux as planned. Instead, sought-after Bulgarian Tenor Kamen Chanev has stepped in at short notice to take his place as the hapless lover of the title character.
APO Chief Executive Barbara Glaser says, “Kamen Chanev is a hugely talented and highly regarded performer who comes to us with both experience in the role and a hugely powerful voice. When he played Des Grieux at The Kennedy Centre (USA), one reviewer described him as the “biggest triumph of the evening”. We can’t wait to hear what he’ll bring to our Trusts Community Foundation Opera in Concert.”