10/06/11 : Saverio Mercadante, House of Mozart

Initiation: 19:30
End: 19:30
In Italian with German and English surtitles

Coproduction with Ravenna Festival and the Teatro Real, Madrid

Critical edition by Paolo Cascio and Víctor Sánchez Sánchez, 2011
Performing rights: Ut Orpheus Edizioni

LEADING TEAM Riccardo Muti, Conductor
Emilio Sagi, Stage director
Daniel Bianco, Stage design
Jesús Ruiz, Costume

Saverio Mercadante, alongside Bellini the most significant representative of the Scuola napoletana in the 19th century, composed I due Figaro in 1826 for his debut in Madrid where he was music director of the royal opera houses until 1831. Due to censorship problems the first performance of the opera took place only in 1835. The libretto continues the story about Figaro and Count Almaviva: in the meantime Figaro has risen to become the actual lord of the palace and intends to arrange the marriage of the count's daughter to one of his mates so as to share the rich dowry with him. Yet Figaro has not taken account of Cherubino, who has meanwhile matured into a real hero, and who appears in the palace in disguise under the name of Figaro...

11/06/11 : Accademia Napoletana, Stift. Mozarteum

Initiation: 11:00
End: 11:00
DOMENICO SARRI • Concerto in A minor for Flute, two Violins, Viola and Basso Continuo

GIOVANNI BATTISTA PERGOLESI • Luce degli occhi miei - Cantata da camera for Soprano, Strings and Basso Continuo

FRANCESCO DURANTE • Concerto a quattro in E minor for two Violins, Viola and Basso Continuo

GIOVANNI BATTISTA PERGOLESI • Chi non ode e chi non vede - Cantata da camera for Soprano, Strings and Basso Continuo

ROBERTO VALENTINI • Concerto in B-flat for Flute, two Violins and Basso Continuo

GIOVANNI BATTISTA PERGOLESI • Nel chiuso centro („Orfeo") - Cantata da camera for Soprano, Strings and Basso Continuo

PERFORMERS Roberta Invernizzi, Soprano
Il Giardino Armonico,
Giovanni Antonini, Conductor

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi achieved international fame already during his short life but especially afterwards: in the course of the Querelle des Bouffons personalities such as Rousseau or Diderot made him the symbol of a new art which was characterised by spontaneity, clarity and naturalness. 120 years later Stravinsky used works by Pergolesi for his ballet Pulcinella, including the chamber cantata Luce degli occhi miei. The highly acclaimed Baroque ensemble Il Giardino Armonico presents this and two other chamber cantatas by Pergolesi together with concertos by his Neapolitan colleagues.

11/06/11 : Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, House of Mozart

Initiation: 19:30
End: 19:30
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL • Aci, Galatea e Polifemo - Serenata a tre HWV 72

PERFORMERS Im Sunhae, Aci
Vivica Genaux, Galatea
Marcos Fink, Polifemo
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
René Jacobs, Conductor

During his three-year stay in Italy the young Handel also visited Naples, where he was patronised by one of the most influential families in the city and composed Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, a serenata. The story about the shepherd Aci and the sea-nymph Galatea, whose love is brought to a tragic end by the jealous giant Polifemo, gave Handel the opportunity to portray in music a rich spectrum of affects ranging between pastoral idyll and buffoonish comedy. The magnificent work reveals the influences from Handel's new surroundings, but also how he explored new ground by experimenting in sound colour.

12/06/11 : Concerti Grossi, Stift. Mozarteum

Initiation: 11:00
End: 11:00
ANTONIO VIVALDI • Sinfonia for Strings in C, RV 116

ANTONIO VIVALDI • Concerto for two Violins, Strings and Basso Continuo in D, RV 511

NICOLA FIORENZA • Concerto for Cello, Strings and Basso Continuo

NICOLA PORPORA • Concerto for Cello, Strings and Basso Continuo in G major

CHARLES AVISON • Concerto grosso No. 5 in D minor from Twelve Concertos in 7 Parts ... Done From Two Books of Lessons For The Harpsichord Composed By Sig. Domenico Scarlatti

PERFORMERS Jérôme Pernoo, Cello
Laurence Paugam, Violin
Ensemble Matheus
Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Conductor, Violin

For years the vitality and energy of Jean-Christophe Spinosi's music-making with his Ensemble Matheus have been conquering the international concert stages, and they have found an ideal partner in the young French cellist Jérôme Pernoo. His playing is both virtuoso and sensitive, and together they will perform two rarely heard solo concertos from the Neapolitan School at the Whitsun Festival 2011. Other works on the programme include pieces from Vivaldi's varied œuvre, and one of the Concerti grossi created by the English composer Charles Avison based on harpsichord sonatas composed by Domenico Scarlatti, a native of Naples.

12/06/11 : Saverio Mercadante, House of Mozart

Initiation: 19:30
End: 19:30
In Italian with German and English surtitles

Coproduction with Ravenna Festival and the Teatro Real, Madrid

Critical edition by Paolo Cascio and Víctor Sánchez Sánchez, 2011
Performing rights: Ut Orpheus Edizioni

LEADING TEAM Riccardo Muti, Conductor
Emilio Sagi, Stage director
Daniel Bianco, Stage design
Jesús Ruiz, Costume

Saverio Mercadante, alongside Bellini the most significant representative of the Scuola napoletana in the 19th century, composed I due Figaro in 1826 for his debut in Madrid where he was music director of the royal opera houses until 1831. Due to censorship problems the first performance of the opera took place only in 1835. The libretto continues the story about Figaro and Count Almaviva: in the meantime Figaro has risen to become the actual lord of the palace and intends to arrange the marriage of the count's daughter to one of his mates so as to share the rich dowry with him. Yet Figaro has not taken account of Cherubino, who has meanwhile matured into a real hero, and who appears in the palace in disguise under the name of Figaro...