Farnese Festival, eight early music concerts in Parma

PARMA, 30 APR – The Farnese Festival returns to Parma from 28 May to 9 June, following the success of the first edition, an ancient music festival that offers eight concerts by some of the most prestigious ensembles in Italy in a unique context, the Farnese Theatre, located in the Pilotta Monumental Complex, the only baroque structure that today hosts a festival of European music from the 17th-18th centuries. Curated by Fabio Biondi, artistic director of Europa Galante, the Farnese Festival was created by Simone Verde, former director of the Pilotta monumental complex, with the support of the Monteparma Foundation. Europa Galante, recognized as one of the best ensembles in the world for its creativity and meticulous care in the interpretation of the baroque repertoire, will open the Festival with two concerts (28 and 31 May) and close it (9 June) with the final show dedicated to Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Added to these is Plautus’ comedy ‘Trinummus (The Three Coins)’ with music by Father Giovanni Battista Martini expressly composed for Parma, in collaboration with Teatro Due (8 June), which will be held, the only exception, at the Teatro Due Foundation. Followed by the Byzantine Academy (1 June), which under the direction of Ottavio Dantone relies on the sounds of ancient instruments to follow the rules of the baroque stylistic language. The protagonist of the fourth day (2 June) is the Compagnia de’ Violini with “The martyrdom of Sant’Adriano”, in collaboration with the Arrigo Boito Conservatory of Parma, a reality that has its origins in the heart of the nineteenth century and has never stopped evolving. We continue with AleaEnsenble (3 June), which uses period instruments to perform the great chamber music for strings of Classicism and Romanticism, trying to rediscover and enhance, at the same time, the compositions of lesser-known authors. Finally Italian Concerto (4 June), which carries forward the rediscovery and renewal of the language of ancient music. (HANDLE).