The film follows the life of a man who is said to have been a revolutionary for 40 years and then a conservative for 40 years who considered Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky and Webern (among others) as naughty punks… However, as a composer and a pianist Camille Saint-Saëns was incredibly talented in music as in various sciences and arts. The film contains archive material, original drawings, musical excerpts and interviews with specialists, with a light comment made from Saint-Saëns’ personal writings as if he commented himself some parts of his long and rich life.
Da Ponte & Friends
Da Ponte and Friends takes audiences on a journey through the life of Lorenzo Da Ponte, highlighting his pivotal role in introducing Italian opera to America. The show explores the diverse worlds Da Ponte inhabited: the court of Vienna, revolutionary Europe, and the birth of the New World. Through his collaborations with Mozart, Salieri, and others, Da Ponte’s work bridges the classical and the revolutionary, connecting the past with the present. Conceived by Claudio Orazi and Francesco Zimei, this project honors Mozart’s legacy and beyond, featuring the Carlo Felice Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Alvise Casellati, with soloists Salome Jicia (soprano), Giovanni Sala (tenor), and Levent Bakirci (baritone). Actor Giampiero Judica narrates as Da Ponte, bringing to life the librettist’s memoirs. The performance includes famous arias from operas by Da Ponte, Mozart, Salieri, Martín y Soler, and others, showcasing both beloved and rarely heard works
Armonie dello spirito in Florence
Armonie dello spirito in Rome
A concert in honor of the 85th birthday of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. The Cappella Musicale Pontificia “Sistina” is one of the oldest and most prestigious musical institutions the “Choir of the Pope”. Under the direction of Massimo Palombella they perform some concerts of the most beautiful and most popular composers of sacred music; from Gregorian chant to the Kyrie and Gloria Papae Marcelli di Palestrina. A highlight of the evening is also the premiere of “here est Operatus” by Lorenzo Perosi. This is a new piece of the great composer, found recently in historical archives.
Verdi’s Backyard
The documentary introduces us to the beautiful “homeland” of Verdi, the region of Parma. From the little village called Le Roncole in the vicinity of Parma, where Verdi was born, to the estate close to Parma, to which Verdi – despite the great triumphs he celebrated in Milan, Venice, Naples and other major cities – always came back to and chose to spend the most time of his life. We get to know how Verdi “lives on” in the region and has even formed the area – from the everyday life of a simple
peasant to the life of one of the biggest opera stars in the world – Leo Nucci, whom is a regular guest at the Verdi Festival in Parma.
Intermezzo: La serva padrona
For the 300th anniversary of the birth of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736), the ‘Italian Mozart’, whose music is practically unknown today, the Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini, which has been devoting itself to the research and performance of Pergolesi’s music for years now, joined forces with UNITEL CLASSICA to record all eight of the master’s stage works on video in HD and 5.1 Surround Sound. A landmark project that will provide many impulses for the rediscovery of this composer’s epoch-making works.
Tutto Pergolesi – Livietta e Tracollo
For the 300th anniversary of the birth of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736), the ‘Italian Mozart’, whose music is practically unknown today, the Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini, which has been devoting itself to the research and performance of Pergolesi’s music for years now, joined forces with UNITEL CLASSICA to record all eight of the master’s stage works on video in HD and 5.1 Surround Sound. A landmark project that will provide many impulses for the rediscovery of this composer’s epoch-making works.