Opera Concerto - Tribute to Bellini
The Church of Badia di Sant'Agata – otherwise known as the Abbey of St Agatha – in the heart of the Sicilian city of Catania is the wonderful venue for the Catania Chamber Orchestra's Opera Concerto - Tribute to Bellini. This series of masterful concerts takes some of the best and most-loved works by Vincenzo Bellini and mixes them with some other popular composers for a delightfully entertaining programme of operatic classics. The eighteenth-century structure of the church provides an excellent acoustic atmosphere for the musicians and singers. What's more, this is a fitting setting for a performance of any of Bellini's music given that the great man was from Catania and his body lies at rest in the cathedral adjacent to the church.
Bellini was born in Catania in 1801 but only started to make a name for himself as a professional composer after he travelled to northern Italy as a young man. In the early 1830s, Bellini was principally living in Milan working at making a name for himself in the world of opera. The Opera Concerto - Tribute to Bellini reflects some of the composer's life at this time, presenting influences on his style alongside original pieces. Opening with his sinfonia from Norma, an opera that saw its debut in Milan in 1831, the concert progresses to a rendition of Ma rendi pur contento, an aria for a soprano he wrote with words by the poet and librettist Metastasio. Casta Diva, also from Norma, shines in this first part of the concert, alongside other timeless works by several leading 19th and 20th-century maestros. Among the well-known composers who feature in this series of concerts are Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi and Jacques Offenbach, with performances drawing on celebrated pieces from operas such as The barber of Seville, Nabucco and The Tales of Hoffmann respectively.
After an interval, Bellini's music continues during the second half of the concert with Vaga luna che inargenti, a spellbinding aria composed to an anonymous text and one of one the composer's best-loved creations for a solo voice. Other pieces from this second part include extracts from Bizet’s Carmen, Donizetti’s The elixir of love, Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Puccini’s La Bohème. Given that the exact programme is sometimes subject to minor alterations, these concerts typically offer something different even among audience-goers who have attended them before.
Thanks to a varied programme that honours Bellini’s musical achievements in the context of other great musical dramatists, these concerts offer a chance to hear some high-quality performances in a truly striking setting.