“The Barber of Seville, “Il Tabarro” and the “Land of the bells”: here is the program of the Taranto Opera Festival

“The Barber of Seville, “The Tabarro” and the “Land of bells”: these are the three new works that together with symphony concerts and ai touristic tours enrich the summer program of Taranto Opera Festiva, event promoted and organized byDomenico Savino association of Taranto, with the patronage of Municipality of Tarantoin collaboration with Puglia regionThe Ministry of Culture, Taranto Capital of the Sea, BCC Banca Bari and Taranto, Go4Sea and some sponsors

Presented to the press at Orpheus Theatre from Pierpaolo De Padovageneral manager of Taranto Opera Festival, Paolo Cuccaroartistic director of the Taranto Opera Festival and regional councilor, Vincenzo Di Gregoriowill start in June.

«Let’s start 6 and 7 June with “The Barber of Seville”an opera in two acts by Gioacchino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini (on both evenings entrance at 8pm, curtain at 9pm, at the Teatro Orfeo in Taranto), conducted by Lorenzo Bizzarri, directed by Anna Aiello – said the Maestro Paolo Cuccaro in illustrating the opera program – We continue the11 and 12 July with “The Tabarro”a one-act opera by Giacomo Puccini with a libretto by Giuseppe Adami (entrance at 8pm, curtain at 9pm, Teatro Orfeo), with director Marc Moncusì and directed by Gabriele Duma: it will be a homage to Puccini, whose centenary of death is celebrated this year; we will close the 25 and 26 July with an operetta, for the first time on the billboards of our season: “The Land of Bells”, opera in three acts by Carlo Lombardo and Virgilio Ranzato, new dramaturgy and direction by Corrado Abbati, musical direction by Alberto Orlandi; this operetta celebrated its centenary and was performed for the first time in Milan in 1923. Also on these dates, appointment with entrance at 8pm and curtain at 9pm, at the Teatro Orfeo in Taranto”.

The symphony program

The symphony program includes “Sundays in concert”organized in collaboration with the G. Paisiello Conservatory of Taranto; director will be Antonio Legrottaglie, the orchestra of the Taranto Opera Festival will play with the soloists of the Paisiello Conservatory. Appointments on Sundays April 28, May 12 And May 19thto the Navy Officers Club (entrance at 10.30am, start at 11am; the concerts are free and open to entry upon reservation, subject to availability (info: 3757044367); concerts of Haydn And Mozart. The best students of the Conservatory were selected for these concerts, by the violinist Bruna Manganaroto the cellist Lorenzo Lomartireto the pianist Gabriele Pedone.

«They are our young and talented talents – declared Cuccaro – and the concerts are one more reason to bring the beauty and culture of the Taranto Opera Festival to our city».

In the conference, the message from the municipal councilor Angelica Lussoso: “The administration recognizes the Taranto Opera Festival as an important cultural and musical reality, which is why, as you are the only ones in the area to propose high-level opera, we will build the new convention for the new year, to make known the reality of the Taranto Opera Festival also in the most peripheral neighborhoods and to use music as a social and cultural purpose.”

Tourist routes

In the next opera season, the program will continue touristic tours in collaboration with Go4Sea: appointments with operas are combined with itineraries to get to know the Apulian territory and tourist experiences, from guided tour of MarTathe national archaeological museum of Taranto, al tour of Taranto in a buggyto the carriage ride with bubblesto thedolphin sighting in the seaat the horseback riding in the Itria Valleyto other initiatives (info and reservations: 3517360302; [email protected]).

Opera enthusiasts will thus be able, in addition to attending the opera, to spend a day full of emotions and experiences learning about the area, including music, typical flavours, history, art and nature.

«In addition to the musical activity, the Taranto Opera Festival carries out and continues to promote an incoming activity, linked to cultural tourism, in collaboration with tour operators, in order to provide a different tourist offer linked to the territory; the tourist thus has the opportunity to take advantage of more experiences”, explained Pierpaolo De Padova, general director.

For the regional councilor, Vincenzo Di Gregorio, the Taranto Opera Festival as a whole, from the opera, to the concerts, to the tourist itineraries, is «an extraordinary opportunity to promote the territory, through some very important segments, including that of opera and music, together with the valorization of the territory and our beauties: from the sea, to the dolphins, to the castle, to the MarTa, to the old city, to the hinterland of the Itria Valley: it is a complete proposal, which makes us proud. The Puglia Region could not fail to be present, as it is doing with the musical education project Scuola Incanto (curated by Europa Incanto in collaboration with the Taranto Opera Festival), which involves many students from Puglia and other regions; it’s a moment in which we need to team up, stay together and propose Taranto well with its beauties.”

More information on 377:044367.