(Photo: Zani-Casadio) One of the most fascinating people associated with the city of Ravenna is Galla Placidia, a woman born into the imperial family in Constantinople around 390 AD. Daughter of Emperor Theodosius I, sister of Emperor Flavius Honorius, wife of Emperor Constantius III and mother of Emperor Valentinian III, hers was a life lived at the centre of power. {…}
(Photo: Paolo Cisi) For what was the third presentation in a crowded evening of events, Cremona’s Monteverdi Festival scheduled a performance of a selection of the composer’s madrigals, culminating with “Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda.” It was, however, not presented as a concert but as a staged performance in the form of an opera, entitled “Polittico Monteverdiano,” put together {…}
(Photo: Studio B12 di Gianpaolo Guarneri) The duet “Pur ti miro, pur ti godo,” which brought Teatro Aligheri’s presentation of “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” to its conclusion, was rightly met with enthusiastic applause from the audience. The sensitivity, emotional depth and detail that countertenor Federico Fiorio and soprano Roberta Mameli were able to bring to their singing was breathtaking. Their voices {…}