Photo: Marco Caselli Nirmal Ferrara’s Teatro Comunale served up a rare treat with a production of Vivaldi’s 1737 opera “Catone in Utica” to a libretto by Metastasio. Well, it was not a complete presentation, as the music for the first act was lost. As a result, we were left with a truncated version comprising Acts two and three, which had {…}
(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) “Elisabetta, Regina d’Inghilterra,” premiering in 1815, was Rossini’s first of eight operas for Naples’ Teatro di San Carlo. Having already established himself in Venice and Milan, he was set on conquering the Neapolitan public. This was no easy task, given the opposition he faced from the local cognoscenti. Such was his determination, however, he gave considerable attention {…}
(Credit: Michele Crosera) The director for Teatro La Fenice’s production of Vivaldi’s “Farnace,” Christophe Gayral observed in his program notes that “the music for some of the arias is strangely sometimes not completely related to the narrative, the music is light while the situation is dark.” While this is undoubtedly true, it does not act against the work as a {…}
(Photo: Michele Crosera) Contrary to popular rumor, it is very unlikely that Salieri and Mozart were on acrimonious terms, let alone enemies. As court composer to Emperor Joseph II, Salieri dominated Viennese musical society which he used to secure positions for Italian artists, which no doubt irritated the ambitious Mozart, but there is no evidence for any animosity between the {…}
(Photo: Michele Crosera) Four months after La Fenice closed its doors, opera has once again returned to its stage, albeit not necessarily in a form that one normally associates with a traditional opera house. The regulations aimed at containing the spread of COVID 19 mean that Italian theatres, cinemas, and other public performance spaces must comply with stringent restrictions, which {…}
Opera will return to the Teatro la Fenice on July 10 with a new production of Vivaldi’s “Ottone in Villa.” The new production will be conducted by Diego Fasolis and star Giulia Semenzato, Sonia Prina, Lucia Cirillo, Valentino Buzza, and Michela Antenucci. Giovanni Di Cicco will direct the production with set designs by Massimo Checchetto, costumes by Carlos Tieppo, and {…}
The Händel International Festival in Göttingen will open its doors on May 20 and it is set to run through June 1. Here is a look at what is on offer. “Rodelinda” HWV 19 will feature Christina Gansch, Christopher Lowrey, Thomas Cooley, Franziska Gottwald, William Berger, and Owen Willetts, with Laurence Cummings conducting. Performance Dates: May 20, 22, 23, 26, 31, June 1, {…}