This week, Sebastiano Rolli is set to make his Arena di Verona debut conducting “Nabucco” in Stefano Poda’s acclaimed production.

Rolli is well-known for his bel canto and Italian repertoire and has conducted at such houses as Slovak National Opera, Teatro Sociale in Rovigo, Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo, Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Teatro Verdi in Busseto, Teatro Regio di Parma, Israeli Opera, Teatro La Fenice, and Teatro Lirico in Cagliari.

Regarding “Nabucco,” Rolli told OperaWire in a recent interview that “I have been studying ‘Nabucco’ for 35 years, and I first conducted it about 20 years ago in Piazza Duomo in Parma.”

He added, “‘Nabucco’ has always occupied a central place in both the Italian Romantic repertoire and in the repertoire of any conductor who has devoted his life to exploring the musical languages of the bel canto tradition. It is a work that is born out of bel canto, yet at the same time challenges its very aesthetic. Its musical writing remains rooted in traditional forms, but the meaning Verdi assigns to those forms marks a decisive turning point.”

For those not in Verona, Rolli will conduct Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” in Magdeburg, at the Festival Verdi in Parma and “Rigoletto” at the Teatro Regio di Parma.

Recordings 

Here is a look at Sebastiano Rolli conducting Hadyn and speaking about “Il Trovatore.”