(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) This summer’s Rossini Opera Festival’s imaginative and fast-moving production of the composer’s 1813 comic opera, “L’Italiana in Algeri,” hit the mark in so many ways: it was funny, colorful and energetic; the cast were fully engaged with their characters, which they hammed up brilliantly for laughs; the underlying dynamics of the narrative were expertly handled by the {…}
(Photo: Amati Bacciardi / ROF 2025) Soirées musicales After the triumph of his last opera, “Guillaume Tell,” Gioachino Rossini decided to abandon theatrical composition and retire to his home in Paris to recover from nervous exhaustion. Even so, he never stopped writing music: he composed for himself, for Olympe Pélissier–whom he married in 1846 after the death of Isabella Colbran–and {…}
(Photo: Luca Del Pia) With its wonderful arias, sparkling ensembles and a score that pops and fizzes underpinned by its easy-to-follow, fast-moving narrative, full of energy and comedy, fronted by Figaro, a character known to many people that have never even set foot in an opera house, “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” still has the pulling power it did over 200 {…}
The New Generation Festival will be transformed into The Regeneration Festival this summer. The showcase will take place between August 26-29 at the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens in a co-presentation with Uffizi Gallerias and in association with the City of Florence, Italy. The centerpiece of the festival will be a staged production of Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” with Svetlina Stoyanova {…}
