© 2024
Virginia's Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

September 11: Rossini’s Tancredi

Lance W. Ozier
/
WFMT

When Rossini’s opera Tancredi premiered in 1813, the composer wasn’t even 21-years old — but he already had quite a bit of operatic experience under his belt. However, it was this adaptation of a play by Voltaire that really put the young Italian on the map.

Set against the exotic backdrop of war, intrigue, and conquest in medieval Sicily, Tancredi follows the romance between the exiled soldier Tancredi (Heather Johnson) and the beautiful Amenaide (Lindsey Ohse). When Amenaide is sentenced to death for a crime she did not commit, a disguised Tancredi fights to defend both love and honor.

Filled with some of the most incredible vocal fireworks ever written by Rossini, this is a tour-de-force of bel canto vocal acrobatics that you won’t want to miss. Maestro Anthony Barrese conducts.