“There truly is a Rossini miracle!” (Deutschlandradio). Acclaiming the mastery of tenorissimo Juan Diego Flórez and the breathtaking young soprano Olga Peretyatko in the lead roles, the press hailed the premiere of Rossini’s Matilde di Shabran at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro as the “high point of the festival” (the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel).
Sigismondo
Filled with beautiful, original music, Rossini’s rarely performed “Sigismondo” was resurrected at the 2010 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. The press called the production a “perfect symbiosis of music and stage work” (Quotidiano Nazionale). Director Damiano Michieletto sets the first act in a realistic “insane asylum” of past times; the second take place in an elegant palace. Mezzo Daniela Barcellona portrays the mad King Sigismondo with fierce intensity and flowing coloraturas; also outstanding are Olga Peretyatko, Antonino Siragusa and Andrea Concetti. Leading the orchestra with supreme musicality is Michele Mariotti, principal conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and acclaimed maestro at La Scala, the Met and other leading houses.
La Scala di Seta
In this colorful and exuberant production by Damiano Michieletto, ‘one of the truly new voices in stage direction today’ (L’Unità), Rossini’s ‘La Scala di Seta’ becomes an Almodóvaresque spectacle ‘that transforms all the singers into extraordinary actors’ (La Stampa). Leading the young and spirited cast is Maestro Claudio Scimone, a key figure in the international Rossini Renaissance, who conducts the Orchestra di Bolzano e Trento with precision and incisiveness, highlighting the Rossinian instrumental
colors as well as the comical and sentimental currents of the score’ (Il Giornale di Vicenza).
Olga Peretyatko – My Love for Rossini
Olga Peretyatko – My Love for Rossini is dedicated to the famous Russian soprano and her admiration for the composer Gioachino Rossini. This documentary includes footage of Olga Peretyatko singing several of Rossini’s most famous arias in concert with the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna conducted by Alberto Zedda. She reflects on her life, her experiences as a singer, and above all, her love for Rossini.
Magic Moments of Music – Montserrat Caballé sings Norma
On the day of the open-air performance of Vincenzo Bellini’s opera ‘Norma’ in 1974, a severe storm is blowing through the city of Orange in southern France. The much-anticipated event may have to be called off at the last moment. All the while, in the spectacular Roman amphitheatre, nine thousand spectators await Montserrat Caballé in the title role of Norma. In the face of these adverse conditions, the singer and musicians nevertheless decide to perform. It will be a legendary evening of music. For this film, Montserrat Caballé’s brother, Carlos Caballé, has given the first interview since the death of his sister in October 2018. Carlos had accompanied her throughout her life and was also in attendance for the rehearsals and performances in Orange in 1974. Soprano Sonia Yoncheva and Olga Peretyatko tell of their admiration for “La Superba”, as Caballé was known to her fans. And just a few short years after this performance, Maria Callas would describe Caballé her as her true successor – high praise indeed.