Giacomo Sagripanti
Winner of Opera Awards 2016 as best young conductor, he is considered one of the most interesting conductors of his generation among the international panorama.
He began his conducting career in Italy and Germany with his debuts at the Festival della Valle d'Itria, Associazione Lirica e Concertistica Italiana and the Lübeck Theatre. He soon caught the attention of houses throughout Europe and has conducted Semperoper in Dresden (Cenerentola), Teatro La Fenice di Venezia (Madama Butterfly) Opernhaus in Zürich (Elisir d'amore), Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow (Don Carlo), Opéra de Paris (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Cenerentola, Capuleti e Montecchi) Teatro de La Maestranza in Sevilla (Cenerentola) Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia (Stabat Mater), and in some of the most important Festivals (Rossini Opera Festival, Arena di Verona), being successful with public and critics.
He has a constant symphonic experience, being regularly invited to symphonic seasons of many prestigious orchestras, such as ROSS in Sevilla, Filarmonica Fenice in Venice, Essener Philarmoniker, Orchestra RAI in Turin, Haydn Orchester in Trento and Bozen, etc.
In January 2016 he had an enormous success conducting Werther at Opéra Bastille in Paris, then in March he made his debut at the Philharmonic Orchestra of St. Petersburg. Most recently, Comte Ory (new production) and Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Seattle Opera, new production with Aalto Theater in Essen of Norma, Capuleti e Montecchi at Opera di Oviedo (new production), debuts with Glyndebourne Festival (Don Pasquale) and with Bayerische Staatsoper (Cenerentola, La Favorite), a new production of Un Ballo in Maschera at Bolshoi Theatre, L'Elisir d'amore and La Traviata at the Opéra de Paris
Among his future engagements: the house debuts at the Royal Opera House in London with Lucia di Lammermoor, his return to Opéra de Paris with Madama Butterfly and Adriana Lecouvreur .
J Henry Fair
Led by the 33 year-old Rossini-specialist Giacomo Sagripanti, the Philharmonia Zürich played all the dotted rhythms and infectious accelerandi of the score with crisp accuracy.
Bachtrack
The Orchestra of Teatro Comunale of Bologna are used to playing Rossini but perhaps never so neatly and so seemingly effortlessly as they did under Giacomo Sagripanti's baton. Watch out for the name of this young conductor. More especially if you live in Paris. He's imminently about to be heard at the Opéra Bastille, conducting this same opera.
Jack Buckley, Seen and Heard International
Despite his youth, he brings extensive experience in the bel canto repertoire. Directing entirely from memory, his knowledge of the subtleties and variations within this score are encyclopaedic. He urged restraint upon the orchestra to have them lightly float through many passages treated more heavily by others. He established shades and colours of immense variety and complexity which added new meaning to music we thought we knew well. His reading of the score is fast and at times furious. His control of the densely written ensemble passages masterful and the overall effect of the performance was fresh, lively and bright.
Gregory Pritchard, Concerto.net
The orchestra, led by Giacomo Sagripanti, sounds as happy to be playing Rossini as everyone else is singing it. Rossini's score is bouncy and light on its feet, but Sagripanti slackens the pace judiciously, giving room for lovestruck arias to blossom, or for Alidoro to proceed in his stately way toward a redistribution of social status.
Michael van Baker, The Sunbreak
Giacomo Sagripanti's conducting kept the fast-paced score galloping along, while attentively supporting the singers. A hearty "Bravi" to his fleet-fingered orchestra.
Melinda Bargreen, Seattle Times
Giacomo Sagripanti Named Young Conductor of the Year at the 2016 International Opera Awards
Follow @GiacSagripanti