World Premiere recording on DVD! To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the premiere of the Rossini rarity, the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro staged Ricciardo e Zoraide with an all-star cast. Juan Diego Flórez makes his debut as the crusader Ricciardo, giving a “masterclass in bel canto” (Bachtrack), his high notes are “… still thrilling with their laser-like precision” (Financial Times). The South African soprano Pretty Yende – “radiant and richly expressive” (Financial Times) as Zoraide – proves that she is “a virtuosa in Rossini singing” (Neue Musikzeitung). On the 150th anniversary of the composer’s death and 200 years after ist premiere, Ricciardo e Zoraide rings out with an artistic quality that is second to none, thanks to the skills of an “absolute Champions League ensemble” (Online Merker). Due to the “attentive conducting of Giacomo Sagrapanti, practically nothing stands in the way of enjoying the beauty of this rarely performed score to the fullest” (Online Merker). The result is an incredible orchestral performance.
Moïse et Pharaon
Moise et Pharon opened the 2021 Rossini Opera Festival. Stage director Pier Luigi Pizzi handling direction, sets and costumes worked his magic: The sparse sets and computer animations were reminiscents of American artist James Turrell’s lights and spaces in their simplicity and impact. The extensive ballet is a highly imaginative and irresistibly camp dance interlude and Eleonora Buratto’s (Anaï) sumptuous voice sparkles through the registers and displays extraordinarily beautiful moments witnessed in decades. Mezzo-soprano Vasilisa Berzhanskaya (Sinaide) is a magnificent discovery: Possessing a true bel canto voice, her second act is spine-tingling. Among the highlights is also Roberto Tagliavini’s splendid final prayer “Des cieux ou tu resides” in the role of Moise. The RAI orchestra under the baton of Giacomo Sagripanti delivers an emotional and powerful interpretation of the score.
Ricciardo e Zoraide
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the premiere of the Rossini rarity, the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro stages “Ricciardo e Zoraide” with an all-star cast. Juan Diego Flórez makes his debut as the crusader Ricciardo, giving a “masterclass in bel canto” (Bachtrack). Pretty Yende – “radiant and richly expressive” (Financial Times) as Zoraide – proves that she is “a virtuosa in Rossini singing” (Neue Musikzeitung).
Pretty Yende & Nadine Sierra – Women’s Day Concert 2023
Two sopranos among the rising stars in the field, Pretty Yende and Nadine Sierra, in a recital of arias and duets, accompanied by the Les Frivolités Parisiennes, conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti. A Women’s Day Concert 2023 filmed in the Philharmonie de Paris.