FROM ROME: Keep in touch with the Italian opera and classical music scene by reading Giuseppe Pennisi's regular reports.
PROVOCATIVE THOUGHTS:
The late Patric Standford may have written these short pieces deliberately to provoke our feedback. If so, his success is reflected in the rich range of readers' comments appearing at the foot of most of the pages.
CD Spotlight. A Touch of Immortality - Gerald Fenech listens to Rossini's 'Messa di Gloria'. '... heartwarming performances full of glowing fervour and devotional ardour.'
Ensemble. An Opera in Need of a Haircut - Giuseppe Pennisi reports on the Rossini Opera Festival's second production of 'La gazzetta'
Ensemble. ROF is Back and in Good Spirits - Giuseppe Pennisi reports on 'Il barbiere di Siviglia' and the Rossini Opera Festival's current performances
Ensemble. Promised in Marriage - Giuseppe Pennisi reports from the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro
With Great Caution - Giuseppe Pennisi reports on the gradual reopening of Italian Summer Festivals
Ensemble. A Mechanical Toy Box - Giuseppe Pennisi experiences the revival in Rome of Rossini's 'La Cenerentola'
Ensemble. Opera Philology - Rossini's 'Torvaldo e Dorliska', reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi
Ensemble. Semi-serious Rossini - Giuseppe Pennisi visits the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro
Ensemble. A Posthumous Debut - Giorgio Strehler's 'Marriage of Figaro' finally reaches Rome, enjoyed by Giuseppe Pennisi
Ensemble. Sorrows of Young Rossini - Giuseppe Pennisi sends a second report from the 2014 Rossini Opera Festival
Ensemble. Decadent and Sarcastic - A Zemlinsky-Puccini double bill in Turin, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi
Ensemble. A Double Melodrama - Giuseppe Pennisi was at Puccini's 'Manon Lescaut', performed under difficult conditions in Rome
Ensemble. Sex and Bigotry - Giuseppe Pennisi reports on his week at the Rossini Opera Festival
DVD Spotlight. Brilliant Sounds - Pergolesi's 'Adriano in Siria', reviewed by Robert Anderson. 'The music is as bewitching as the story is dotty.'
Ensemble. Full Immersion - Giuseppe Pennisi reports on 'La Salustia' and 'La Serva Padrona' from the Pergolesi Festival
Ensemble. The Quality of Mercy - Verdi's 'La Forza del Destino', heard by Giuseppe Pennisi
Ensemble. A Superb Cast - Rossini's 'Mathilde de Shabran' at Covent Garden, reviewed by Robert Hugill