It’s been all high notes for countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo since he graduated from Princeton University in 2004.
This weekend, he returns a conquering hero – the winner of a 2022 Grammy Award (his third nomination), for his recording of John Corigliano’s “The Lord of Cries,” and the recipient of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2020 Beverly Sills Artist Award – to sing two works with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.
Costanzo will perform not only music by Baroque master George Frideric Handel – the aria “Quella fiamma” from the opera “Arminio” – but also a recent piece by Princeton alum Gregory Spears, “Love Story” – on a text by Tracy K. Smith, who served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2019 – written specifically for Costanzo on a commission from the New York Philharmonic in 2021.
Princeton University graduate student Nina Shekhar’s “Lumina,” also premiered by the NYP, will open the program, which will conclude with a dramatic rollercoaster – and an audience favorite – Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.
Music director Rossen Milanov will conduct at Richardson Auditorium, Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. A pre-concert talk will precede the Sunday performance at 3 p.m.
In recent years, Costanzo has proved himself an Akhnaten for the ages, in New York and elsewhere. His performance in Philip Glass’ opera about the first monotheistic pharaoh was revelatory and a high point of the Met’s streaming during the pandemic.
Costanzo headlined Corigliano’s Dracula opera at its debut in Santa Fe in 2021. He’s also created roles in Jimmy Lopez’s “Bel Canto” and Jack Heggie’s “Great Scott.” Clearly, opportunities for countertenors have expanded well beyond the 18th century.
Witness Costanzo’s versatility firsthand this weekend with the PSO. For tickets and information, visit princetonsymphony.org.
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