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ED2016 4/5 Reviews ED2016 Music Reviews
The Opening Concert Sir Antonio Papano Conducts Italian Operatic and Choral Masterpieces (Edinburgh International Festival)
By Louise Rodgers | Published on Wednesday 10 August 2016
Passion and excitement emanated from the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nationale di Santa Cecilia in the first half comprising of Shakespearean themed opera pieces. Gioachino Rossini’s ‘Otello, overture’ was disconcertingly cheeky for a tragedy but such was the custom of the early eighteenth century! Later, the orchestra assumed a dark intensity for Rossini’s choral masterpiece, ‘Stabat Mater’. The Edinburgh Festival Chorus gave everything to this performance; it was confident and assured, conveying the majestically tragic beginning of one of the world’s great religions. The soloists swooped and soared alone and together; they sang both as a perfectly blended ensemble and shone powerfully during their solos. Santa Cecilia, patron saint of music for whom the orchestra was named, was present tonight.
Usher Hall, 7 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Louise Rodgers]