La fede ne’ tradimenti

Attilio Ariosti
La fede ne’ tradimenti

Date: 19th of December 2012
Place: Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow

Performers:
Europa Galante - ensemble 
Fabio Biondi - conductor

The Polish premiere of La fede ne' tradimenti by Attilio Ariosti is a dramma per musica in three acts, based on a libretto by Girolamo Gigli. The premiere was held in Berlin in 1701, when the composer was staying at court there. Its characters include Garzia, king of Navarre (bass), his sister Anagilda (soprano), Prince of Castile Fernando (mezzo-soprano) and his sister Elvira (soprano). 300 years later, in 2001, the composition was brought back to contemporary audiences by the Berlin Baroque ensemble during the Berliner Festspiele. Fabio Biondi presented the opera for the first time at the Vienna Konzerhaus in January 2011 to great acclaim from audiences and critics. A stage version of Ariosti's opera was then shown in Siena during the 68th Settimana Musicale and the festival in Montpellier.

Europa Galante - Founded by Fabio Biondi in 1990, the ensemble has performed all over the world, including in such venues as the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, London's Royal Albert Hall, Vienna's Musikverein, Lincoln Center in New York, Sydney Opera House, the Teatro Real in Madrid, Gulbenkian Grand Audytorium in Lisboa, as well as in Australia and Asia. Its flexible structure enables Europa Galante to perform both large operas (operas, oratoria) and smaller ones (chamber compositions). The orchestra boasts several dozen contemporary premiere performances of compositions from the 17th and 18th centuries. Their repertoire is dominated by Italian music by Vivaldi, A. and D. Scarlatti, Caldara and Boccherini, among others. After years of working with the Opus 111 label, the ensemble signed a contract with Virgin Classics, with whom it has since released over a dozen albums, each gaining acclaim from critics all over the world. The last album of Vivaldi's pieces, which gained fantastic recognition from critics, was recorded for Virgin Classics - Pyrotechnics and features arias performed by V. Genaux (from 2009) and Ercole sul Termodonte (2010). February 2011 saw the release of the album La stravaganza, with features various concerts by 'the Red Priest'. The artistic activity of the formation was recognised with two special awards (in 2002 and 2008) from the Italian Associazione Nazionale del Critici Musicali. This season will see a tour around Sweden and performances in Switzerland, Spain, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands and the United States (with concerts at Carnegie Hall and Los Angeles Disney Hall, among others).