Brio and finesse in both vocal and instrumental performance mark the opening concert of the new season. Mezzo soprano Maria Warenberg, and the OBV Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Alessandro Palumbo will showcase the incredible versatility of Italian operatic genius Gioachino Rossini. The program features virtuosic and lyrical arias from his masterpieces such as The Barber of Seville and La Cenerentola, the latter a brilliant adaptation of the Cinderella fairy tale. These will be complemented by La regata veneziana, a lively piece that shares the spotlight. Additionally, three canzonettas, charming songs Rossini wrote after his opera career for salon performances, will shine in an orchestral arrangement.

Drawing inspiration from Rossini’s Parisian salon music, compiled in Péchés de vieillesse, Ottorino Respighi also drew from these sources. For his ballet La Boutique fantasque, Respighi based the music on some of Rossini’s piano compositions. The concert will also feature his highly inventive and sophisticated overtures to La gazza ladra and William Tell, completing the musical portrait of this masterful era.