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Newly-formed company Opera Settecento is to give its first public concert at Cadogan Hall and has chosen a Vivaldi opera that has been performed in the UK only once before.  On Thursday this week, Opera Settecento, under the direction of harpsichordist Thomas Foster, will perform Antonio Vivaldi’s 1735 opera Griselda at Cadogan Hall, London.
Opera Settecento is a new opera company specialising in performances of 18th-century opera seria, which is a neglected genre. In a nutshell, the idea is to cast young, up-and-coming singers of great promise alongside established singers of international renown, thus giving those younger singers a masterclass experience. We also wish to build a much larger audience for this musical genre among the general public. Griselda was performed for the first time in the modern era at Buxton Opera House in 1983, since when it has received no further performances in the United Kingdom. This performance will be the UK premiere of the scholarly edition of Griselda produced by G. Ricordi & Co. of Milan. The cast will include Contralto Hilary Summers, and Countertenor Andrew Watts. Check out the listing at the Cadogan Hall website. |
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The "Maggot from Italy's Tomb?" The "Black Widow" of St Bartholomew? Or one of the finest examples of power politics and survival ever seen? Well, I would have to say yes to all of the above, and more! Catherine was one of the most complex characters in a time of massive internal strife in France, with enemies both within (Guise, D'Albret) and abroad (Philip II of Spain).
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Franco Fagioli is an Argentinian Countertenor "who seems to redefine the capabilities of the countertenor voice." He has won great acclaim for his performance in the role of Arbace in the recent all-male production of Vinci's Artaserse, and will soon be releasing an album celebrating the star castrato Caffarelli.
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© James Edward Hughes 2013