The aristocrat of conductors, the autocrat of the baton, Riccardo Muti cuts a noble figure at the head of any orchestra, and ennobles every ensemble through his charismatic personality and red-blooded musicality. In many respects, including his unwillingness to compromise over artistic matters, he is reminiscent of the great Arturo Toscanini, who was also a demanding ruler at the podium. Born in Naples in 1941, Muti studied at the Conservatory of his native city, where one of his teachers was the later celebrated film-score composer Nino Rota. He made his breakthrough as a conductor in 1967, when he won an important competition, and was appointed principal conductor of the prestigious Maggio Musicale in Florence in 1969. His rise to international fame set in with his guest conductorships at the Salzburg Festival in 1971 and at the head of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1972. Muti became principal guest conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra a few years later, and was named its music director in 1980, succeeding the legendary Eugene Ormandy. Always a conductor of both the symphonic and operatic repertoire, Muti advanced to the post of music director of La Scala in Milan in 1986. The 1990s saw Muti consolidating his reputation at the head of this venerable institution, as well as in countless other high-caliber venues around the world. Today he is one of the undisputed giants among the leading conductors of the world. “Così fan tutte” contains some of Mozart’s loveliest arias and the greatest number of ensembles in any of his operas. Although its libretto is often said to be frivolous, it is a foil for Mozart’s lucid and utterly non-Romantic view of the sexes. Director Roberto de Simone captures both the comedic and tragic core of the work from within and makes its depth palpable. Since the beginning of the 1990s, conductor Riccardo Muti has been increasingly making a name for himself as a Mozart specialist. Austria’s leading daily “Die Presse” gushed: “Roberto de Simone simply directs the work itself in harmony with Riccardo Muti, who does the same in the orchestra pit .. a triumphal reprise at the Vienna State Opera.” And the “Neue Kronen Zeitung” reported that “Muti wonderfully polished his successful Vienna ‘Così’ with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra: Mozart played with an abundance of freshness, impulsiveness and humor.”
L’Italiana in Algeri
“The role of Isabella is sung to perfection by Cecilia Bartoli – a clever, independent woman with an adventurous streak” (New York Times). Bartoli’s superb performance in Gioachino Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers) at Salzburg Festival, directed by the BAFTA-winning stage director duo Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier, is a highlight among the Rossini celebrations on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the composer’s death. The DVD captures Bartoli’s excellent performance in a rare audiovisual recording of the Italian superstar, who is one of the most successful opera singers of our time. In this vibrant comedy, every look, every hand gesture brings Isabella to life: Bartoli presents the spirited Italian woman with fire, finesse and extraordinary acting abilities – “a Rossini masterclass” (Bachtrack). Her Isabella is a strong, independent woman who has no intentions of accepting the advances of the powerful Mustafà. In the staging by Leiser/Caurier, which plays with preconceived notions about clashing cultures, Mustafà is no longer an Ottoman bey, but a kind of local gangster who smuggles electronics at the port of modern-day Algiers. In the colourful sets of Christian Fenouillat, Ildar Abdrazakov sings the leering macho, looking for a love affair with the beautiful Italian, with delight and “great comic talent” (Salzburger Nachrichten). Edgardo Rocha’s bright tenor climbs up without effort, making his performance as Isabella’s lover Lindoro flowing and highly emotional. The conductor Jean-Christophe Spinosi, showing sensitivity to the intricacies and sparkle of Rossini’s score, leads the excellent Ensemble Matheus in a “beguiling performance” (The New York Times).
La Cenerentola
Rossini’s second masterpiece La Cenerentola premiered at the Teatro Valle in Rome on the 25th of January 1817, less than a year after the first performance of his The Barber of Seville and it´s pure, perfect Rossini. In this production, a set-up made to celebrate 200 years Rossini in Rome, Emma Dante´s “rousing Cinderella” (Corriere della Sera) “succeeds in impressing her own contemporary vision on a classic masterpiece, in perfect symbiosis with the spirit of Rossini.” (Opera Now) “Alejo Pérez deserves the credit for an excellent ensemble and a dazzling rhythmic rendering of the Rossinian score.” (La Nazione – Il Resto del Carlino – Il Giorno)
Salzburg Festival 2018: L’Italiana in Algeri
What happens when a powerful man makes moves on a strong, independent woman who has no intention of accepting his advances? And how are things further complicated if he is Middle Eastern and she is Western and their cultures fundamentally clash? Find the answers in Moshe Leiser’s & Patrice Caurier’s colourful production of “L’Italiana in Algeri” with Cecilia Bartoli in the title role of the spirited Isabella.”The role of Isabella is sung to perfection by Cecilia Bartoli – a clever, independent woman with an adventurous streak”. (The New York Times)