About this Artist
One of the most gifted and distinguished lyric tenors of his generation, MATTHEW POLENZANI has been praised for an artistic versatility and fresh lyricism, which he brings to concert and operatic appearances on leading international stages. Recognized as the 2004 Richard Tucker Award winner, Polenzani has performanced with the Metropolitan Opera during the present season Ferrando in Così fan tutte and Fenton in Falstaff (both under the baton of James Levine) and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (under Andrew Davis). Other return engagements include Così fan tutte at Seattle Opera, Alfredo in La traviata at the Teatro Comunale di Firenze, and Don Giovanni with Antonio Pappano and the Orchestra della Santa Cecilia. On the concert stage he returned to the Boston Symphony Orchestra for performances of the Berlioz Requiem with Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and presents Janácek's The Diary of One Who Vanished at Zankel Hall with pianist Richard Goode. Summer festival appearances include performances of Gurrelieder and Don Giovanni with James Levine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with Leonard Slatkin and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and Mozart's "Coronation" Mass with Louis Langrée at Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival.
Among the many highlights from recent Metropolitan Opera seasons were the premieres of Julie Taymor's production of Die Zauberflöte, Francesca Zambello's production of Les Troyens, both with Levine, Marthe Keller's production of Don Giovanni with Davis, Jürgen Flimm's production of Salome with Valery Gergiev, as well as revivals of Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. He also has bowed in L'elisir d'amore at the Teatro San Carlo and Rome Opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia at San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, and the Bayerische Staatsoper, Il Turco in Italia for the Rossini Festival of Pesaro, La traviata at the Aix en Provence Festival, Lucia di Lammermoor at the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Lakmé and Roméo et Juliette with Opéra de Bordeaux, and in concert performances of Rigoletto with Daniel Oren and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Polenzani has been acclaimed in symphonic appearances with Lorin Maazel and the New York Philharmonic, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Orchestra della Santa Cecilia, James Conlon and the Cincinnati Symphony, Jeffrey Tate and the Minnesota Orchestra, and David Zinman and the Aspen Festival Orchestra, among others. In a single recent season he was honored to appear on all three stages of Carnegie Hall: with the MET Chamber Ensemble at Zankel Hall; in solo recital with pianist James Levine at Weill Hall; and in a Schubert Liederabend on the stage of Isaac Stern Auditorium.
06/06