An "expressive, resonant baritone", boasting "insightful phrasing" and a "confident, imposing presence".
The New York Times
About
In the 2008/09 season, the dramatic baritone made his sensational debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Rigoletto and has since then returned in almost 150 performances, singing roles such as Nabucco, Macbeth, Amonasro (Aida), Scarpia (Tosca), Michele (Il tabarro), Tonio (Pagliacci), Alfio (Cavalleria rusticana) and Shaklovity (Hovanščina).
Already announced for the 2024/25 season are returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Scarpia, to the Staatsoper Hamburg as Miller in Luisa Miller and to the Opéra National of Paris in the title role of Rigoletto as well as his Washington Concert Opera debut as Miller.
Regularly invited by the most prestigious international opera companies, George Gagnidze kicks off his 2023/24 season starring in the title role of Nabucco at the Metropolitan Opera in the Fall, followed by his house debut at the Atlanta Opera in the title role of Rigoletto. He subsequently returns to the MET for their winter run of Nabucco, including a Live in HD broadcast on January 6, 2024. Other engagements feature star turns at the Las Palmas Opera, where he portrays his "exceptionally menacing Scarpia" in Tosca (The New York Times), in Bologna for his Teatro Comunale debut in a new production of Macbeth and at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin as Shaklovity in a new production of Hovanščina. With the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra led by Constantine Orbelian, he sings a gala concert featuring arias by Verdi, Puccini and Giordano and at the Festival Ópera Benicàssim he presents a Recital.
In the 2022/23 season, George Gagnidze made his debut at the Dallas Opera in the title role of Rigoletto, a part he also performed at the Staatsoper Hamburg. He returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Scarpia and Amonasro, to the Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona as Scarpia, to the Teatro San Carlo of Naples in the title role of Macbeth and to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin for his role debut as Grand-Prêtre de Dagon in Samson et Dalila.
Engagements of the 2021/22 season included Scarpia at the Metropolitan Opera and at the Teatro San Carlo of Naples, Amonasro at the Los Angeles Opera, Germont in La traviata at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and at the Teatro San Carlo, the title roles of Macbeth at the Palau de les Arts Valencia and of Nabucco at the Staatsoper Hamburg, the Teatro Real of Madrid and the Tbilisi Opera House for a gala performance on the occasion of the inauguration of a Star with his name engraved in front of the theatre.
Other past highlights are Rigoletto, La traviata (Germont), Tosca and Aida at the Teatro alla Scala, Nabucco and Tosca at the Vienna State Opera, Otello (Iago), La traviata, Tosca, Francesca da Rimini and Aida at Opéra National of Paris, Simon Boccanegra (title role), Tosca and Aida at the Teatro Real Madrid, Andrea Chénier (Carlo Gérard) and Aida at the San Francisco Opera, La traviata at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Rigoletto at the Festival of Aix-en-Provence, La traviata, Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Rigoletto and Pagliacci at the Los Angeles Opera, Tosca and Aida at the Staatsoper Berlin, Nabucco, Rigoletto, Otello, La Gioconda (Barnaba), Andrea Chénier and Tosca at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Luisa Miller (Miller) at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Nabucco and La traviata at the Arena of Verona, Hovanščina at the BBC Proms in London and Otello at the Washington National Opera, the Greek National Opera of Athens and the Staatsoper Hamburg, where he has also sung in Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci.
Born in Tbilisi and trained at the State Conservatory of his home town, George Gagnidze debuted as Renato in Un ballo in maschera in 1996 at the Paliashvili State Opera. He entered the “Concorso Voci Verdiane” in 2005 as an award-winner of the “Leyla Gencer Voice Competition” and the “Elena Obraztsova Competition”. The jury, chaired by José Carreras and Katia Ricciarelli, awarded him first prize for his outstanding vocal interpretation. After launching his international career from Germany, he was soon engaged by many of the world’s important opera houses.
In the course of his career, George Gagnidze has worked with many renowned conductors and directors, including Daniel Barenboim, Semyon Bychkov, James Conlon, Plácido Domingo, Gustavo Dudamel, Mikko Franck, James Levine, Jesús López Cobos, Fabio Luisi, Nicola Luisotti, Lorin Maazel, Michele Mariotti, Zubin Mehta, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Gianandrea Noseda, Daniel Oren, Kirill Petrenko, Yuri Temirkanov and Juraj Valčuha, Simone Young; Luc Bondy, Henning Brockhaus, Liliana Cavani, Robert Carsen, Giancarlo Del Monaco, Claus Guth, Michael Mayer, David McVicar, Peter Stein, Robert Sturua and Francesca Zambello.
In September 2021, the star baritone presented his first solo album on the Orfeo label featuring arias by Leoncavallo, Giordano, Verdi, Wagner and Mozart, which was immediately nominated for the prestigious 2022 International Classical Music Awards in the Vocal Music category. His DVD/Blu-Ray recordings include Tosca from the Metropolitan Opera, Aida from La Scala and Nabucco from the Arena of Verona.
News
NEWS
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04.08.2024
Recital at the Festival lírico Ópera Benicàssim
George Gagnidze will perform a recital at the XVI Festival lírico Ópera Benicàssim in Spain on August 4. Accompanied by pianist José Manuel Frasquet, George will sing Neapolitan songs, art songs by Tchaikovsky as well as arias from some of his most important roles such as Macbeth, Nabucco, Tonio (Pagliacci) and Carlo Gérard (Andrea Chénier). The concert will take place at 21:00h at the Teatre Municipal Francesc Tàrrega.
NEWS
|
15.05.2024
New production of “Khovanshchina” at Staatsoper Berlin
In June 2024, George Gagnidze will return to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, this time as Shaklovity in a new production of Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina.
NEWS
|
01.05.2024
Opera Gala with Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra
On May 10, George Gagnidze stars in an Italian Opera Gala with the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra led by Constantine Orbelian. He will be performing “Di Provenza” from Verdi's La traviata, “Pietà, rispetto, onore” from Macbeth, “Nemico della patria” from Giordano's Andrea Chénier and the “Te Deum” from Puccini's Tosca together with the Kaunas State Choir. Soprano Gabrielè Bukiné and tenor Arsen Soghomonyan will share the stage with him.
Schedule
Metropolitan Opera New York
Scarpia in “Tosca”
Sep 2024
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25
Metropolitan Opera New York
Scarpia in “Tosca”
Sep 2024
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28
Metropolitan Opera New York
Scarpia in “Tosca”
Oct 2024
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03
Latest video
VIDEO
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01.12.2023
GEORGE GAGNIDZE “Cortigiani” RIGOLETTO (Atlanta 2023)
VIDEO
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01.12.2023
GEORGE GAGNIDZE “Dio di Giuda” NABUCCO (MET 2023)
VIDEO
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30.09.2023
GEORGE GAGNIDZE Act 2 duet NABUCCO (MET 2023)
Press
27.06.2024
“George Gagnidze is outstanding as Shaklovity” in Berlin
Reviews are brilliant for the new production of Khovanshchina and George Gagnidze's Shaklovity at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden:
Press
01.05.2024
George Gagnidze a Macbeth of “round, harmonically rich vocality” in Bologna
“With Verdi, the Georgian baritone gets along fully: Rigoletto, Nabucco, Miller, Simone are also among his signature roles. He takes on the multifaceted figure of the usurping monarch with a round, harmonically rich vocality, naturally wide-ranged and generous -- at times even almost overflowing -- but well controlled…”
Gilberto Mion, Teatro about George Gagnidze's portrayal of Macbeth at the Teatro Comunale of Bologna, April 2024.
Press
12.04.2024
Interview with GBOpera
George Gagnidze was interviewed by GBOpera. Among the many topics he spoke with Giorgio Bagnoli are his return to Italy, his debut at the Teatro Comunale of Bologna, and the role he is singing there, Verdi's Macbeth.