(Photo: Noah Shaye) On June 28, 2025, Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci presented a rare revival of Baldassare Galuppi’s opera “Didone abbandonata” — the 1752 Madrid version. Commissioned by the legendary castrato Farinelli to honor King Ferdinand VI of Spain, this adaptation brought together three giants of the 18th century opera: Farinelli himself, librettist Pietro Metastasio, and composer Galuppi. More concise and {…}
(Photo: Federico Melis) Federico Fiorio is a male soprano, specializing in the baroque. I first came across him on his professional debut in 2018 when he was performing at Venice’s Teatro Malibran, in which he impressed with his “high degree of vocal control and versatility.” Since then, and almost by chance, I have had the opportunity of reviewing many of {…}
(Photo credit: Stefan Gloede) The world premiere recording of Carl Heinrich Graun’s opera, “Adriano in Siria” is set to be released on June 13. “Adriano in Siria” was presented in a production by the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci and recorded in June 2024. The cast features the countertenor trio of Valer Sabadus, Bruno de Sá, and Federico Fiorio, alongside sopranos Roberta Mameli {…}
(Photo: Matthias Baus) One of the highlights, if not the highlight, of La Monnaie’s 2024–25 season must be its world premiere of Monteverdi’s new opera “I Grotteschi,” a mammoth work, lasting almost seven hours, not including intervals, performed over two evenings. Rafael R. Villalobos as Scenario, Director & Costume Designer conceived and created the production, using extracts from the Monteverdi’s {…}
(Photo: ©Zani-Casadio) In the autumn of 1709, as he was preparing to conclude his journey through Italy, George Frideric Handel triumphantly arrived in Venice to present his second Italian opera, “Agrippina.” The work was enthusiastically received by the audience, who acclaimed the composer with shouts of “Viva il Sassone!” (Long live the Saxon!) and with 27 performances that sealed its {…}
(Photo: Zani-Casdio) It was well after midnight when the final curtain fell on Teatro Alighieri’s production of Händel’s “Giulio Cesare.” It was a long evening, although, such was the quality of the presentation, there would have been few complaints even if it had continued for another hour or more. It was one of those performances in which the singing, the {…}
The Teatro Alighieri in Ravenna has announced its 2025 season featuring three opera productions. The season opens with Händel’s “Giulio Cesare“ conducted by Ottavio Dantone and directed by Chiara Muti. Raffaele Pe, Marie Lys, Delphine Galou, Filippo Mineccia, Federico Fiorio, Andrea Gavagnin, Clemente Antonio Daliotti, and Davide Giangregorio. Performance Dates: Jan. 17 & 19, 2025 Gaspare Spontini’s “La Vestale” will be conducted {…}
Programming for the 2024 Innsbruck Festival of Early Music has been announced. This article only features vocal performances. First up is a workshop for the upcoming performances of Giacomelli’s “Cesare in Egitto.” Soloists include Arianna Vendittelli, Emőke Barath, Filippo Mineccia, Margherita Maria Sala, Valerio Contaldo, and Federico Fiorio. Ottavio Dantone conducts the Accademia Bizantina. Performance Date: July 27, 2024 (Tyrolean {…}
(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 {…}
The Teatro Verdi Pisa has announced its 2023-24 season featuring five operas and four new productions. The season opens with Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” in a new production by Luigi De Angelis. The cast includes Chiara Amarù, Gurgen Baveyan, Dave Monaco, Arutro Espinosa and Roberto Abbondanza. Francesco Pasqualetti conducts. Performance Dates: Oct. 27 & 29, 2023 Puccini’s “La Rondine” {…}
(Photo: Zani-Casadio) The rehabilitation of Vivaldi’s operas continues apace. Over the past five or six years, the number of performances of his works has soared so that productions, which would have only recently been classed as welcome but rare events, are now becoming increasingly common. At least, that is the case in Italy and one or two other countries. It {…}