Rossini Opera Festival 2024 presented in New York
The Rossini Opera Festival 2024 (the 45th edition), to be held in Pesaro from 7 to 23 August, was presented at the Italian Consulate in New York with speakers including the Intendant Ernesto Palacio and the Artistic Director Juan Diego Flórez. The programme, never so extensive, will cover a period of 17 days, four more than usual, and coincides with the events of Pesaro Italian Capital of Culture 2024.
There will be five operas: two new productions (Ermione and Bianca e Falliero) and three revivals (L’equivoco stravagante, Il barbiere di Siviglia and Il viaggio a Reims by the young members of the Accademia Rossiniana).
The concert programme includes the world premiere of the new edition of the Messa di Ravenna, the Cantata Il vero omaggio, two opera-symphonic Concerts and five Belcanto Concerts. The programme will be closed with a concert performance of Il viaggio a Reims, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of its first performance in modern times at the ROF in 1984.
The Festival will be inaugurated on 7 August at the PalaScavolini, a new theatre space reopened within the already famous PalaFestival, by Bianca and Falliero, which has not been performed at the ROF since 2005. Roberto Abbado will conduct a cast that includes Jessica Pratt (Bianca), Aya Wakizono (Falliero), Dmitry Korchak (Contareno), Giorgi Manoshvili (Capellio), Nicolò Donini (Priuli), Carmen Buendía (Costanza), Dangelo Díaz (Cancelliere), Claudio Zazzaro (Ufficiale/Usciere). The director is Jean-Louis Grinda, with sets and costumes by Rudy Sabounghi, and lighting by Laurent Castaingt. The remaining performances will be held on 11, 14 and 19 August.
This will be followed on 8 August at the Teatro Rossini by the premiere of L’equivoco stravagante, already staged at ROF 2019. Michele Spotti will conduct the production conceived by Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier with sets by Christian Fenouillat, costumes by Agostino Cavalca and lighting by Christophe Forey. The cast includes Maria Barakova (Ernestina), Nicola Alaimo (Gamberotto), Pietro Adaíni (Ermanno), Carles Pachón (Buralicchio), Patricia Calvache (Rosalia) and Matteo Macchioni (Frontino). The remaining performances will be held on 12, 16 and 21 August.
The second new production, Ermione, will be staged from 9 August at the Vitrifrigo Arena. The opera has not been performed at the ROF since 2008. Michele Mariotti will conduct a staging by Johannes Erath, with sets by Heike Scheele, costumes by Jorge Jara, video designs by Bibi Abel and lighting by Fabio Antoci. The cast includes Anastasia Bartoli in the title role, with Victoria Yarovaya (Andromaca), Enea Scala (Pirro), Juan Diego Flórez (Oreste), Antonio Mandrillo (Pilade), Michael Mofidian (Fenicio), Martiniana Antonie (Cleone), Paola Leguizamón (Cefisa) and Tianxuefei Sun (Attalo). The remaining performances will be held on 13, 17 and 20 August.
The fourth opera on the bill will be staged at the Vitrifrigo Arena from 10 August. Il barbiere di Siviglia was seen in 2018 and reprised in 2020. Pier Luigi Pizzi’s production will be conducted by Lorenzo Passerini, with Maria Kataeva (Rosina), Andrzej Filonczyk (Figaro), Jack Swanson (Conte d’Almaviva), Carlo Lepore (Don Bartolo), Michele Pertusi (Don Basilio), Patrizia Biccirè (Berta), William Corrò (Fiorello/Uficiale). The remaining performances will be held on 15, 18 and 22 August.
There are two opera-symphony concerts with the Filarmonica Gioachino Rossini: on 18 August Alessandro Cadario will conduct Gregory Kunde, and on 20 August Jacopo Brusa will conduct Giorgio Caoduro. Also on the programme are five Belcanto Concerts: featuring Eleonora Buratto (12 August), Pietro Spagnoli (13 August), Ramón Vargas (14 August), Sara Blanch (17 August) and Daniela Barcellona (21 August).
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
