A Night at the Italian Opera

The big 3 of Italian opera.

Puccini, Verdi and Rossini are among the greatest names in Italian opera. These three composers brought big emotions to their music and a keen understanding of the power of music to touch the hearts of listeners.

The main work in this concert is the Stabat mater by Rossini, which was composed after the hugely successful composer had retired from the opera house. A setting of an age-old religious poem, the Stabat mater ponders the grief of Mary, the mother of Christ, as she stands at the foot of the cross. Compelling and emotive, this large-scale work for orchestra, chorus and four vocal soloists presents Rossini at the height of his powers.

The ballet music to Verdi’s Macbeth captures the thrilling intrigue of the Scottish play while the Prelude to La traviata shows Verdi at his most tender and vulnerable. The concert opens with Puccini’s youthful Preludio sinfonico, proof that the 18-year-old composer was already a force to be reckoned with.

Stabat mater sung in Latin with English surtitles.