Italian bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni is in demand at many of the premier opera houses in the world. This year, he will sing the role of the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro in three different productions: at San Francisco Opera, the Salzburg Festival, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. He will also sing Enrico VIII (that's Henry VIII to non-Italian speakers) in Anna Bolena in both Zurich and Vienna. Wherever in the world he goes to sing, he is accompanied by his two dogs, Lenny and Tristan.
"I always travel with them everywhere; I like to travel with them... I keep them normally in the hotel or the apartment," Pisaroni told me during a recent telephone interview. "They are really well-trained travelers, so it's not that difficult."
In fact, Pisaroni is something of an advocate for traveling with pets. He even has a dog blog, where he recounts the exploits of Tristan, the miniature dachshund, and Lenny 2.0, the golden retriever.
Currently, the dogs are with him in New York, where he is singing Leporello in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Don Giovanni, directed by Michael Grandage. I had the good fortune to talk with Pisaroni the morning after opening night.
"It went very well, I'm very happy... it's a good production," Pisaroni related. As the servant Leporello, he is witness to the Don's amorous exploits, often helping to rescue his master, played by bass-baritone Peter Mattei, from difficult and dangerous situations.
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