O SOLE MIO  – Mediterranean Harmonies: canzonets, tarantellas and zarzuelas

January 12, 2025, 7:00 PM

Bucharest National Theatre - Studio Hall

Tenor Ştefan von Korch, host of the Musical Extravaganza season, brings the warmth of Mediterranean harmonies to the stage of the Studio Hall in the middle of winter, in the recital "O Sole Mio." The show is a musical journey that starts from the charm of Neapolitan melodies, highlights the elegance and intensity of opera arias and is perfected in the sentimental sonority of zarzuelas - the immortal traditional Iberian songs. Famous refrains will highlight the rich Italian and Spanish repertoire in a refreshing and enveloping show like a sunrise on the Mediterranean coast.  

Tenor Ştefan von Korch details: «Although they belong to different traditions, both canzonettas and tarantellas, as well as zarzuelas, have the power to awaken universal emotions. They tell stories about love, joy, longing and hope, becoming bridges between past and present, between cultures and generations. We will enjoy an elegant meeting between genres in the concert "O Sole Mio," both through landmark titles and through surprises almost never sung in Romania.»

Alongside tenor Ştefan von Korch, two other prestigious soloists will complete the program: soprano Oana Maria Şerban and baritone Adrian Mărcan. And with magical touches of the keys, a piano virtuoso will accompany - maestro Alexandru Burcă.

Canzonets and zarzuelas are captivating musical genres, each expressing through music and text the essence of the national spirit of the country of origin. Italian canzonets and tarantellas have conquered the hearts of listeners around the world, in the interpretation of the legendary Luciano Pavarotti, and zarzuelas are the subtle compositions full of intense emotions that are found in the repertoire of the legends of Spanish lyricism: Jose Careras and Placido Domingo.  The two genres, along with famous arias and duets, will highlight the diversity and beauty of the lyrical universe, in a concert in which two cultural and musical horizons will merge.

Through this concert you discover and rediscover the masterpieces of Italian and Spanish music, from classic canzonets such as "O Sole Mio" or "Funiculì, Funiculà", to famous arias and zarzuelas that will take the audience on a sound story on the shores of the Mediterranean.

About the protagonists

 ** Ştefan von Korch – Tenor, host soloist  **

Tenor Ştefan von Korch is appreciated monthly by the public as the host soloist and artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, a pioneering cultural project carried out in the capital, with extensions on the stages of Braşov, Piteşti, Sibiu and Craiova. 

With a dynamic presence in national and international cultural life, Ştefan von Korch debuted in 2025 at the Romanian Athenaeum in "Concert at the Imperial Court," opened the Arad Philharmonic season with "Carmina Burana," his "signature" work, in which he also began the year on the stage of the Transylvania State Philharmonic, performed in Central America, in the concerts of great tradition "Los Tres Tenores," alongside soloists from Spain and Honduras and was applauded at the National Opera in Iaşi in "The Merry Widow 2.0," directed by Andrei Şerban.

It is the unmistakable voice  for the tenor line in Carmina  Burana – a passage at the limit of the male voice's capabilities, through whose interpretation he navigates with overflowing ease. Thanks to the manner of interpreting  this work, he was invited to over 40 performances of Carmina Burana, in  Philharmonic Orchestras and Cultural Institutions in the country, but also abroad, in 2024, he was honored to open the Palermo Classica Festival in this work, with an appearance acclaimed in the press in the peninsula and in Romania alike.

 His name is also linked to over 15 performances at the National Opera in Bucharest where he was invited over time in "The Barber of Seville," "The Elixir of Love" and "Falstaff," but also to the national premiere of the opera "I Puritani," by Vicenzo Belinni, one of the highest scores written for male voices.

 The year 2024 ended with notable appearances at the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theater,  at the Sala Palatului and at the Philharmonic Orchestras in Târgu-Mureș and Timișoara. 

 In 2023, he was the only Romanian soloist in the China Tour 2023, alongside the Reino de Aragon Orchestra from Spain. 

He delighted the audience with his voice in 3 national premieres: "I Puritani" and "La Sonnambula," both by Vicenzo Bellini, the vocal-symphonic work "Messa di Gloria" by Rossini, but also in the European premiere of "Traiano in Dacia."

Over time, he has performed the roles specific to his voice from the very well-known operas: "Rigoletto", "The Barber of Seville", "The Elixir of Love", "Don Pasquale", on the stages of the Operas in Bucharest, Cluj and Iași and is a constant presence on the stages of national philharmonics, "Requiem" by Mozart, "Christmas Oratorio" by Bach and "Longesangt" by Mendelssohn.

Internationally, he has performed at the Metropolitan Concert Hall Tokyo, Zhuhai Opera House, Nanjing Poly Grand Theatre and Chongqing Grand Theatre, Opera Kaiserslautern Germany, Teatro Verdi Padua Italy, Zurich Academy of Music Concert Hall, National Theatre Bratislava.

**Adrian Mărcan (Baritone)* *

Adrian Mărcan is a baritone at the Bucharest National Opera with a vast national and international activity. He has conquered the audience with interpretations full of sensitivity, depth and vigor, and among his successful roles are Don Giovanni from "Don Giovanni", Figaro from "The Barber of Seville", Count Almaviva from "The Marriage of Figaro", Marcello from "La Bohème," Belcore from "The Elixir of Love", Enrico from "Lucia di Lammermoor", Germont from "La Traviata", Rodrigo di Posa from "Don Carlo", Count di Luna from "Il Trovatore" or Escamillo from "Carmen" etc.
Besides his artistic activity in the country, he has held numerous tours abroad with the operas from Brașov, Cluj, Iași, Craiova in countries such as: Germany, Austria, Italy, Norway, Spain, Holland, Albania, Great Britain, but also in Japan.

**Alexandru Burcă (Pianist) **

Alexandru Burcă gives brilliance to the piano scores of numerous shows of the only operetta and musical theater in Bucharest, is the stage partner of actress Oana Pellea in the show "Callas," presented on the stage of the National Opera in Bucharest, has delighted the audience with magical touches of the piano keys in the musical Mamma Mia, which enjoyed national success and signed the music for the production "Ileana the Brave."

He has held concerts and recitals at the Romanian Athenaeum, the 'George Enescu' International Festival, Romanian Television, the Romanian Broadcasting Society, the Bucharest Municipality Museum – Șuțu Palace, the 'George Cavadia' Philharmonic, the Bacau Philharmonic, the National Museum of Art, Kazakhstan, Russia, Moldova, France, Germany, Portugal, Norway, Italy, Canada.

About the season Musical Extravaganza

The concerts aim to offer the public the joy of meeting representative names of the lyrical scene, in a more intimate setting, which offers a different perspective on the artistic act compared to that of the imposing opera stage, but also to bring the classical genre closer to audiences of all ages.  Spectators are invited to admire their favorite soloists in a select atmosphere, complemented by a chamber accompaniment, which highlights the performers in a warm and personal light.

The first Musical Extravaganza season, conducted under the artistic guidance of tenor Ştefan von Korch, included over 20 successful concerts, in which the public was delighted, together with the host soloist: soprano Cristina Maria Oltean, soprano Daniela Bucşan, tenor Alin Stoica, baritones Adrian Mărcan, Lucian Petrean and Fang Shuang, pianist Alexandru Burcă, accordionist Emy Drăgoi, pianist Bogdana Cocîrlea, Piteşti Philharmonic Orchestra and Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre Orchestra – in salon format.