The result of all awards is not always the emotion of the attendees, nor the feeling that they are deserved. But this time it does. The excitement of the attendees comes from their experience as a listener of all the operas of Verdi, which have been the content of the extraordinary Tutto Verdi project. Maybe someone finds it easy to approach a project like Tutto Verdi, in which all the work of this great author is offered over the years. But it has nothing easy. Because riding an opera is very difficult. It is a total, expensive and complex show, which requires the enormous talent of all those who intervene in one way or another in such a production.

Well, let's think that if it's hard to set up an opera, programming the entire production of Verdi for sixteen years, with top artists, it could be impossible without the help of many people and entities. Actually, this was the Tutto Verdi International Awards, a recognition to those who contributed to the success of this great project.
Leo Nucci, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Daniela Barcellone, Juan Jesús Rodríguez, Riccardo Frizza, Emilio Sagi, the Bilbao Opera Choir and the BBVA Foundation received these awards created by ABAO. The event took place at the Arriaga Theatre and was presented by Iñaki Gabilondo and Udane Goikoetxea.

All the awards given made great sense, but I want to focus on the awards given to the great interpreters of Verdi, who gave us the interpretation of some arias of this composer.

The award for the best male voice was for the baritone Juan Jesús Rodríguez. He offered an aria of the Ernani opera and we had the opportunity to enjoy the interpretive intensity of the singer of Huelva, Andalusia.

The award for the best female voice was for the great mezzo Daniela Barcellone, who has made us spend these years such exceptional moments. The Italian singer performed a piece of the opera Il Trovatore accompanied to the piano by Alessandro Vitiello. As always, perfect.

The last prize of the night was for the great baritone Leo Nucci, for his career. This charismatic artist starred in one of the most emotional moments of the gala performing Cortigiani de la Opera Rigoletto.Fue a great
gala in which he highlighted the quality and proximity of all the participants. Congratulations to everyone.