On Sunday, 23 November 2025 at 4:30 p.m., in the Mehta Hall, conductor Christopher Franklin and Marco Filippo Romano return to the Teatro del Maggio for a light-hearted afternoon recital.

Joining Marco Filippo Romano is soprano Aloisia de Nardis.
On the stands of the Maggio Orchestra will be music by Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Il maestro di cappella by Domenico Cimarosa.

Florence, 20 November 2025 — The autumn symphonic events continue at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. On Sunday, 23 November 2025 at 4:30 p.m., Maestro Christopher Franklin — once again at the helm of the Maggio Orchestra after the concert held at the Roman Theatre of Fiesole in July 2008 — and Marco Filippo Romano return to the Mehta Hall for a vocal recital featuring music by Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Domenico Cimarosa.

Soprano Aloisia de Nardis will perform alongside Marco Filippo Romano.

The lively musical afternoon begins with a series of excerpts from Rossini’s works: opening with the Overture and “A un dottor della mia sorte”, both from Il barbiere di Siviglia, followed by “Per piacere alla signora” from Il turco in Italia, and then, from La Cenerentola, the Overture and “Sia qualunque delle figlie”.

Donizetti’s “Signorina, in tanta fretta” from Don Pasquale precedes the final piece of the afternoon recital: the celebrated comic intermezzo Il maestro di cappella by Domenico Cimarosa.

Speaking about the concert and his interpretation of the selected pieces, Marco Filippo Romano — returning to the Maggio after the performances of La Cenerentola in September 2024 — highlighted the characteristics of bel canto and of the buffo performer, particularly in this repertoire:

“The history of opera consists of specific moments that define its style and themes. Bel canto, which spans from the second half of the 18th century to the first half of the 19th, is certainly one of the most important milestones in music history, when Italian composers reached the height of their expressive powers, inheriting the style of the Neapolitan school — whose undisputed heir, inspiring future composers of the genre, is Domenico Cimarosa — and laying the musical foundations of the late nineteenth century. Among these, of course, Rossini and Donizetti stand out, for through their melodies they captivate the audience: the use of coloratura, dynamics, fast tempi, and suspended lyrical moments creates a surreal atmosphere in which agility and ornamentation become the protagonists of the melodic line.

The buffo can be defined as a kind of ‘lead comedian’: someone who, despite himself, is at the center of the events and bears their consequences, and thus has a complete understanding of the plot. For me, being a buffo means having a mission. I have always believed that the purpose of comedy is to encourage the audience to think deeply, lowering every prejudice and bringing them to a state of “sympathy”, as an attraction toward those ideas.”