(Photo: Studio UV – Fondazione Teatro Donizetti) At the beginning of the 1840s, Gaetano Donizetti was the most celebrated Italian opera composer in Europe. After conquering Paris with adaptations of his Italian successes and new works such as “La fille du régiment” and “La favorite,” his life unfolded in constant travel between the continent’s principal musical centers. He composed with {…}
(Credits: Brescia e Amisano) Just days before the premiere of his new opera, Gioachino Rossini – true to his habits and to the conventions of his time – chose to speed up the process. For the Sinfonia (overture), he reused one he had written a year earlier for “La Gazzetta,” while for the protagonist’s final rondò, he adapted a fragment {…}
(Photo credit: Brescia & Amisano | Teatro alla Scala) Premiering in 1851, the French comedy “Un chapeau de paille d’Italie” left an indelible mark on theater history with its witty plot, inspiring five film adaptations over the last century: three French, one German, and one Soviet. In Italy, the story was revived by Nino Rota, who transformed it into the {…}