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Rigoletto in Mantua | Palazzo Te, the pleasure palace

What is Rigoletto it about? This sounds like a simple question, which could be answered by telling the story of the Duke of Mantua, the city of Mantua, his hunchback jester and the jester’s daughter, Gilda. A story of love, deception, revenge, and death. The story, of course, is so close to the one told by playwright and poet Victor Hugo in his play Le Roi s’amuse (The King has fun), that they could appear the same thing. But anyone who loves opera will not be satisfied by this explanation. In the best operas, music is much more than an accompaniment to the story: it is through the power of music that the story unfolds into the drama. Verdi fell literally in love with Hugo’s play and was determined to translate it into music; despite his librettist Francesco Maria Piave‘s concerns, particularly over the fourth act culminating in the deposition of a dying Gilda in a bag. In a letter dated June 1850, Verdi explains the reasons he suggested as a title for the opera Monterone’s curse or, by the short, The Curse. “The subject is the curse as a moral element: A distraught father who mourns the honor taken away from his daughter, a […]

November

Italian Opera the December monthly program

Italian Opera the December monthly program of main events in the most famous Italian theaters and festivals. Don’t waste time and plan your visit to Italy now, a great choice of amazing performances is at hand, wherever you are in these days!

March

Vincenzo Bellini | La Sonnambula

La Sonnambula was a complete triumph, since its premiere. The newspapers wrote of “a melody that goes to the heart, an instrumentation always beautiful and well built” and reported of “endless applauses”. The story revolves around the character of Amina, the archetypal of the slandered innocent.

December

Rossini’s revolution and the transition to a new era

Gioachino Rossini embodied quite well the ideals of the Restoration, at least in the choice of traditional and already tested subjects. Yet, on the other side, his music was completely revolutionary for its novelty: rhythmic energy, robust orchestral texture, dynamic melodies are some of the elements of his new style.

Rimini and Gradara | Francesca da Rimini | The epitome of a tragic love

The compelling power of Zandonai’s best opera Francesca da Rimini is the best known of

Category Archives: Museums

Rigoletto in Mantua | Palazzo Te, the pleasure palace

Italian Opera the December monthly program

Vincenzo Bellini | La Sonnambula

Rossini’s revolution and the transition to a new era

Rimini and Gradara | Francesca da Rimini | The epitome of a tragic love

L’Ulisse Errante

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