“DELIRIO”: Thursday, Sept. 12, 8 p.m., Zubin Mehta Hall, singing concert by soprano Jessica Pratt

Thursday, Sept. 12, 8 p.m., Zubin Mehta Hall, singing concert by soprano Jessica Pratt.
Orchestra and Chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. On the podium, Riccardo Frizza.

Chorus director, Lorenzo Fratini.

Arias of “madness” and symphonies from the operas of Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti. 

Florence, 9 September 2024 - Thursday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m., in the Zubin Mehta Hall, is a singing concert by soprano Jessica Pratt, who brings to the stage the arias contained on the CD “Delirio” recorded at the Maggio, with the Theater Orchestra and Chorus for the Tancredi label. Officially presented at the Teatro del Maggio last Oct. 2023 to coincide with its release, the CD has received unanimous rave reviews from critics.

Pratt is one of the most talented and virtuosic bel cantoists of our time, and she tackles in this concert-and on the CD-an anthology of scenes united by the common thread of “madness” from the operas of Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini. On the podium - as well as on the Cd - Riccardo Frizza established in the reading and performance of Italian belcanto and with whom Jessica Pratt collaborates with admirable synergy. The scenes presented in concert are performed in full and with textbook philological care. The Maggio Chorus is conducted by Lorenzo Fratini.

The pieces presented - in order of performance - are thus taken from Vincenzo Bellini's La Sonnambula, Emilia di Liverpool, Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Vincenzo Bellini's I puritani, and Gaetano Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix. During the concert, Maestro Frizza will conduct the symphony from Vincenzo Bellini's I Capuleti e i Monecchi, the symphony from Gaetano Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, and the overture from La favorite.  During the recital, Jessica Pratt will wear magnificent gowns/costumes designed for her by Giuseppe Palella that emphasize both the strength and vulnerability of the women played by the soprano. In performances from Emilia di Liverpool and Linda di Chamounix, Aleksandra Meteleva an artist from the Accademia del Maggio Musicale will also sing.

This concert is the first in a series of others that will feature mezzo-soprano Teresa Iervolino next Sept. 29, baritone Nicola Alaimo on Nov. 3, and then during 2025, also in November, baritone Marco Filippo Romano all performing live on stage and with Maggio ensembles to interpret live recordings made at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino for the Dynamic label.