At the Teatro Regio di Parma, director Valentina Carrasco centres her interpretation of this early, seldomly performed Verdi opera around the horse: “The horror of armed conflict passes through the presence of horses, used by soldiers, petted and cared for, but also killed and disfigured, a symbol of those who pay the price of war without ever having started it or wanting to” (Connessi all’Opera). The cast is excellent, above all Marina Rebeka as Lida with “precise virtuosity” (Connessi all’Opera) and Antonio Poli as Arrigo, who “portrays a sensitive, human hero” with a “robust, full voice” (GB Opera). The young conductor Diego Ceretta at the helm of the Orchestra of the Teatro Communale di Bologna delivers a clear interpretation of the score as he sets a “pressing narrative structure” and highlights “the many timbral and harmonic details” of the music (Teatro). The true star of the production is the Chorus of the Teatro Communale di Bologna, which convinces with “volume, roundness, and beauty of sound” (GBOpera).
Norma
“Marta Torbidoni as Norma: triumphant” (L’Ape Musicale) To mark its 60th anniversary, the Macerata Opera Festival at the Sferisterio is celebrating with Bellini’s Norma in a new production by Milanese director and documentary filmmaker Maria Mauti. In the pit is Bellini specialist Fabrizio Maria Carminati, artistic director of the Teatro Bellini in Catania. Rising soprano Marta Torbidoni in the title role is flanked by an excellent, young cast including Roberta Mantegna (Adalgisa), Antonio Poli (Pollione) and Riccardo Fassi (Oroveso). Torbidoni’s “high notes soar and are always well controlled, her declamato is incisive in its power, and her timbre stands out for its luminosity and softness”. At her side, Mantegna is “always in perfect harmony” as the two sopranos demonstrated “beautiful and complementary voices” (Teatro). The festival orchestra under the masterful baton of Carminati is “magnificent, as was the sound of the festival choir under the direction of Martino Faggiani” (Klassik-begeistert.de).