The New Season of Opera and Ballet at the Terme di Caracalla
“Caracalla must go back to its original routes
and present to the world the artistic excellence
and the great popularity of Italian Opera”
Carlo Fuortes, General Manager of the Teatro dell‘Opera di Roma
The number of opera performances will increase from 9 to 16.
A rich program of classics featuring great acclaimed works such as
La bohème and Swan Lake.
A new reading of Carmen by the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio.
An evening with Roberto Bolle.
The Tokyo Ballet pays tribute to the art of Maurice Béjart.
The new 2014 Summer Season at the Terme di Caracalla is another important step towards the relaunch strategy of the Teatro dell’Opera put in place by General Manager Carlo Fuortes. The Teatro dell’Opera has improved its level of efficiency and is now able to offers a higher number of performances to larger audiences, in order to strengthen its contribution to the cultural activities offered by the city of Rome and the country in general. On the occasion of the new summer season the number of opera’s performances has almost doubled from 9 to 16. The Orchestra, the Choir , the Ballet and all the workers of the Teatro dell’Opera have all joined forces in this effort. All of this will turn into a substantial increase in revenues and will contribute to raise founds for the future activities of the Teatro dell’Opera. The income generated by the larger audiences of Caracalla will not only cover the costs of production, but it will also generate a surplus that will help the finances of the Foundation. Carlo Fuortes declared that this is a policy which aims not only to increase the number of spectators and generate more revenues but also to ameliorate the quality and the originality of its production. It will also strengthen its ties with the city of Rome and meet the demands that come not only from abroad and the rest of Italy, but also from the city itself which boasts a wonderful and diverse mix of locals and tourists .
This is a season of classics, sometime reinterpreted with a contemporary reading , featuring the great repertoire loved by the general public. The new 2014 Summer Season of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma at the Terme di Caracalla is still inspired by its public’s tastes and its traditional vocation.
The Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio has characterized its own production with the reinterpretation of great classics. After The magic Flute they have chosen Carmen by Bizet. The Italian premiere of the new work will open the summer season on the 24th of June 24 at 9 pm.
Mario Tronco co-author with Leandro Piccioni of the music arrangements writes :“Carmen is an opèra comique , inspired by gypsy and folk music. Our work tends to focus on the part of the score which are strongly inspired by folk music. Leandro Piccioni and I have made an attempt to expose the essence of the composition and made it as easy as possible for the audience to understand where the source of emotion comes from. The simplicity of the essential melody ideally helps the audience to get closer to the moment in which the author has composed it. This is the most interesting part of our work, or at least, what we love the most.»
For those who love Bizet’s masterpiece it will be an opportunity to compare this work with the “original”. Carmen will be premiered at the Teatro Costanzi on the 18th of June and will be performed until the 28th.
On the 27th and the 28th of June (9pm ), the Terme di Caracalla, will host The Tokyo Ballet, one of the most famous ballet companies in the world. The Japanese ballet company will perform three creations of one of the most important choreographers of all time, Maurice Béjart . The Tokyo Ballet was founded in 1964 and since then, it has performed both Eastern and Western choreographies from all periods. Their vast repertoire features classical and neo -classical ballets including works by contemporary choreographers. Undoubtedly, among these masterpieces, we can mention the triptych of Maurice Béjart: Le sacre du printemps composed by Igor Stravinsky , Sept Danses Grecques written by Mikis Theodorakis and Don Giovanni based on the music composed by Frédéric Chopin based on a theme by Mozart.
Commenting on the choreography of Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps, that last year celebrated its hundredth year, Maurice Béjart once said: » Spring is something more than that immense primitive force hidden during the winter period. A force that suddenly emerge and greet the world in all its natural, animal or human forms. The physical aspect of love between human beings symbolizes the same act with which the Creator has given birth to the Cosmos and the joy that came from it. In a time when the walls between humans slowly crumble it is possible to start talking about a culture that challenges its boundaries. In every society only universal and essential human forces remain the same over the time. This ballet therefore rejects any reference to the picturesque ; it is an instinctive and essential celebration of the union between man and woman , a ballet that celebrates the merging between heaven and earth, a dance of life and death, which is eternal as spring.»
A classic among classics, this is, along with The Nutcracker, a work of great acclaim; Swan Lake, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, returns to Caracalla, on the 3rd of July (9pm) until the 15th. This popular production choreographed by Patrice Bart was particularly appreciated by the audience at the Teatro Costanzi last year. Among the celebrities who will take turns to play with extraordinary elegance the role of Odette / Odile there is : Ludmila Pagliero (Étoile of the Paris Opera ), Iana Salenko ( Principal Dancer of the Berlin State Ballet), and Alessandra Amato (Prima Ballerina of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma). Paulo Arrais and Giuseppe Picone will alternate in the role of the prince.
This year the first opera to be presented at the Terme di Caracalla will be La bohème by Giacomo Puccini. This will happen on the 14th of July until the 9th of August. The Orchestra of the Teatro dell’Opera will be conducted by Maestro Daniel Rustioni. The choreography and the costumes are designed by David Livermore. This is a production where the audience will be given the chance to witness the passion and the love between Mimi and Rodolfo in their own world. The set is going to be created by projecting some Impressionist’s masterpieces on the stage. A pictorial universe that will be the backdrop to the work that will feature Carmela Remigio (Mimi) recently acclaimed as the protagonist of the Maometto II, Aquiles Machado (Rodolfo), Claudio Sgura (Marcello), Rosa Feola (Musetta). The Choir of the Teatro dell’Opera is directed by Roberto Gabbiani.
Still a masterpiece and one of the most loved works by the audience, Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Rossini will debut at the Terme di Caracalla with a new production, on the 23rd of July, with performances that will continue until the 8th of August. The Orchestra of the Teatro dell’Opera will be conducted by Maestro Stefano Montanari and directed by Lorenzo Mariani, who has given to the Rossini opera a new reading and stage it in the fashion of a fifties’ musical. Several young and already successful actors will appear in this production: René Barbera (Almaviva), Annalisa Stroppa (Rosina), Omar Montanari (Don Bartolo) and Vito Priante (Figaro). The Choir of the Teatro dell’Opera will be directed by Roberto Gabbiani.
A much loved classic appointment for all lovers of the great dance is scheduled at Caracalla on the 25th of July. Roberto Bolle as usual will invite many of his «friends.» A prestigious line up of world famous dancers who will take part in the amazing show Roberto Bolle and Friends .
