The operabarga festival 2007 started this evening with a concert outside the Duomo. Together with the Mayor of Barga, Umberto Sereni, it has been decided that from now on the Festival will officially begin on the 25th of July each year, this being the day of the patron saint, which should be suitably auspicious. They began this 40th year with a concert reproducing the programme almost to the letter of the Festival’s first season: Arias and Scenes from Rigoletto, Così fan tutte and Fidelio, sung by Francesco Meli and Sabrina Gamberoni, two young singers who are already singing in major theatres.
The Festival has established a special prize for Young Singers of Promise, which will be a feature of the opening concert from now on. Franceso Meli and Sabrina Gamberoni will be the first recipients.
Tenor – Francesco Meli | Soprano – Sabrina Gamberoni | Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale di Bacau Conductor – Marcello Panni
Click on the link below to hear a small section of the concert this evening
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A new rcord, even for Italy, where such things are expected: A concert opened with 35 minutes of introductory speeches and followed by 25 minutes of music. The music, fortunately, was glorious, with the singers performing wonderfully and the National Symphony of Bacau a real honor to its native Moldavia in eastern Romania, economically — but certainly not culturally — one of the poorest corners of Europe.