Italian bass Riccardo Zanellato is internationally recognised as one of the distinguished interpreters of the Verdi repertoire of his generation. His long-standing association with the composer encompasses roles including Zaccaria in Nabucco, Filippo II in Don Carlo, Banco in Macbeth, Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra, Ramfis in Aida, Ferrando in Il trovatore and Sparafucile in Rigoletto, alongside numerous performances of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem.

He has appeared at many of the world’s leading opera houses and festivals, including Teatro alla Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Opéra national de Paris, Opéra de Lyon, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Finnish National Opera and Arena di Verona.

2026/27 SEASON

Riccardo Zanellato opens the 2026/27 season returning to the Royal Opera House Muscat as Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto. In December, he appears as Philippe II in the French version of Don Carlos with Korea National Opera at the Seoul Arts Center, in a production directed by Yannis Kokkos and conducted by Valerio Galli.

In January 2027, he joins Speranza Scappucci and Insula orchestra at La Seine Musicale in Paris as bass soloist in a programme pairing Rossini’s Stabat Mater with Verdi’s Messa Solenne.

He subsequently returns to the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino as Ferrando in a new production of Il trovatore, conducted by Daniele Gatti and directed by Leo Muscato.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

A major highlight of the 2025/26 season was an extensive European tour of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with Daniele Gatti and the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. Alongside Eleonora Buratto, Elīna Garanča and Benjamin Bernheim, Zanellato performed the work in major European concert halls including the Musikverein in Vienna, Philharmonie de Paris, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and at the Prague Spring Festival.

His recent operatic engagements include Timur in Turandot at Teatro alla Scala, Zaccaria in Nabucco in an extensive Italian tour, Banco in Macbeth at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra at the New National Theatre Tokyo and Finnish National Opera, Brogni in La Juive at the Teatro Regio di Torino, and Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Bayerische Staatsoper.

A particularly important artistic relationship throughout Zanellato’s career has been with Riccardo Muti, under whose direction he has performed Iphigénie en Aulide, Nabucco, Moïse et Pharaon, Macbeth, Simon Boccanegra and Verdi’s Messa da Requiem. His other collaborations include conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Daniele Gatti, Antonio Pappano, Michele Mariotti and Francesco Ivan Ciampa.

His concert repertoire occupies an equally important place in his career. Verdi’s Messa da Requiem has taken him to major international venues and orchestras, including performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker and Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden.

SELECTED ROLES

Zaccaria · Nabucco

Wiener Staatsoper · Grand Théâtre de Genève · Opéra de Lyon · Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Filippo II · Don Carlo

Oper Leipzig · Teatro Carlo Felice Genova · Korea National Opera

Fiesco · Simon Boccanegra

Opéra de Lyon · Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège

Timur · Turandot

Teatro alla Scala

Banco · Macbeth

Staatsoper Berlin · Opernhaus Zürich · Teatro Comunale di Bologna