2018-2019

Everyone knows Summertime, but few know that it is one of the wonderful songs of this “folk opera” with which Gershwin ended prematurely his career. Aspects of jazz, spirituals, musicals and theatre are the ingredients of the greatest American opera of the twentieth century, an authentic cross-section of Afro-American life.

Defying the censorship of the time like never before, Verdi stages a drama full of humanity, bringing to life a unique figure in the world of opera. A tragedy that brutally underscores the love of a father for his daughter which is crushed by the cynicism of society.

Stendhal defined it as «complete, organized madness», exalting the perfection of the opera buffa that made Rossini famous at around the age of twenty. Almost certainly taken from a true story, L’italiana in Algeri is a concentration of vitality, a joyous musical mechanism.

The eternal love story conceived by the genius of Shakespeare becomes a ballet thanks to Prokofiev’s splendid score. One of the greatest choreographers of the twentieth century, MacMillan, revived it for two ballet stars, Fonteyn and Nureyev, highlighting all of the passion of the two lovers.

The phenomenon of sleepwalking and insanity in general is, in opera, a way to exalt vocal virtuosity. Bellini excels in radiating with his lyric style the tender and hard-won love between the protagonists, whom he entrusts with enchanting music.

A great Italian classic becomes an opera thanks to a composer and a librettist who are both Italian. And it met with success in European theatres, with Germany in the lead. All the magic of Collodi’s text is poured into the music of Valtinoni, bringing to life a show that has as protagonist a real puppet.