Every summer, the southeastern Italian town of Martina Franca hosts the Festival della Valle d’Itria, an exciting musical event that seeks to return obscure or rarely performed lyric works to the operatic stage. The 2017 production of Vivaldi’s Orlando Furioso continued that enterprising tradition: despite being one of the composer’s better-known operas, it is far from mainstream. The plot concerns the exploits of Orlando, a brave and upstanding knight, who finds himself captured on the magical island of Alcina, an evil sorceress who plays with mortals’ lives for her own amusement.
This cleverly constructed interpretation blends selected Baroque stylistic and performing traditions with a modern aesthetic and a vibrant and sparkling performance on period instruments by Diego Fasolis’s vocal and instrumental ensemble I Barocchisti. Massimo Cecchetto’s simple yet powerful set complemented strong performances by a first-rate cast (led by contralto Sonia Prina as Orlando and mezzo soprano Lucia Cirillo as Alcina). A thrilling operatic experience for music lovers of all stripes!
Photo: Orlando Furioso © Paolo Conserva
