New Year's Concert, I Virtuosi dell’Opera di Roma
New Year is a time for beautiful songs and cheerful melodies – and what better way to enjoy them than in the festive atmosphere of a beautiful old Protestant church? The orchestra of I Virtuosi dell’Opera di Roma put on a special holiday concert at St Paul’s Within the Walls Church in Rome for fans of classical music and good cheer. The talented musicians take audiences on a journey through the world of opera to bid farewell to the old year and greet the new one in style. Together with a soprano, a tenor and a baritone, I Virtuosi dell’Opera di Roma deliver a programme that is sure to put you in the mood for celebrations.
The New Year’s concert’s three acts are packed full of famous melodies and household names. Jacques Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro, Georges Bizet’s Carmen, Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto and La Traviata, and Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème and Tosca all make an appearance throughout the evening with favourite arias and instrumental outtakes. Among the well-known classics, I Virtuosi dell’Opera di Roma also include excerpts from lesser-known gems such as Amilcare Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, Gioachino Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri, or the Valse des patineurs by E. Waldteufel. The constantly changing roster of well-known composers and their best-known melodies from different operas and musical periods means the concert feels fresh and exciting without exception.
Apart from enchanting music, I Virtuosi dell’Opera di Roma’s New Year’s concert also impresses with its ambience. St Paul’s Within the Walls is one of the oldest Protestant churches in Italy, built in 1876. It is immediately recognisable thanks to its multicoloured brick and stone façade. Inside, the expressive and lifelike mosaics by Edward Burne-Jones and George Brecks liven up the atmosphere and depict key biblical scenes in the artists’ own creative fashion. If you are in Rome for New Year’s, this is a performance that has musical and visual appeal in spades, a perfect way to turn the calendar.