News
We’ve been in Rome this week taking the project to Italy’s capital and having some important meetings which take us a step closer to realising the theatre. We also caught up with our Ambasciatrice, Ann Hallenberg, who sang the lead role in Vivaldi’s Juditha triumphans at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
One of the joys of this project is working with a number of key people who work so tirelessly for us behind the scenes and to whom we already owe so much. It was great to meet with them again and to continue our work together. These are exciting times, but we are not there yet. We still need funding, we still need to keep pushing and reaching out to those who have the vision to embrace the historical and cultural value of this extraordinary Venetian project.
ANN HALLENBERG TRIUMPHANS
But the motive for the trip was music and a rare chance to meet up with Ann Hallenberg. A mark of her dedication to the project was the enthusiasm with which after the concert (and thus the efforts of her own performance) she stayed up into the early hours sharing a full review of the progress made and a discussion of our future objectives. Tack Ann!
As you will know, Juditha triumphans is a wonderful oratorio by Vivaldi (with libretto in Latin by Jacobi Cassetti), widely reported to have been first performed at the Ospedale della Pietà in 1716. In Rome, Maestro Federico Maria Sardelli led an emotional evening that allowed the brilliance of Vivaldi to come first and for the focus to remain on the music and the singers. For that, much credit is due to him, the singers, the orchestra dell’Accademia Barocca di Santa Cecilia and the Coro dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
It was a sensitive and even humble performance which created a sense of pure joy and allowed us all to feel as if we were hearing every expression and subtlety Vivaldi had intended. Ann’s performance was outstanding. Her voice is simply exquisite, as is her diction, and the notes she sings just seem to form so perfectly; her fellow cast and soloists from within the orchestra were similarly inspired.
Ann Hallenberg, Juditha
Rui Hoshina, Abra
Vivica Genaux, Holofernes
Giorgia Rotolo, Vagaus
Francesca Ascioti, Ozias
A wonderful evening of Baroque oratorio and a reminder that the completed Teatro San Cassiano will go beyond HIP opera to celebrate the great Italian tradition of the oratorio.
