“Tebaldi was so great in opera that she left a poorer world,” says one of her keen followers, soprano Agnese Pazienti, who regaled the audience at a concert organized by the Italian Consulate General at its cultural center in Jeddah on Saturday.
“Tebaldi was one of the great singers who inspired me to take to singing,” says Agnese. “She was gifted with an exceptionally beautiful voice, gleaming with light, so that her portrayals of numerous heroines remain in the heart,” Agense said.
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text called a libretto and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. It incorporates many of the elements of spoken theater, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance. The performance is typically given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble, she says
Opera started in Italy at the end of the 16th century, with Jacopo Peri’s lost Dafne, produced in Florence around 1597, and soon spread through the rest of Europe. Schutz in Germany, Lully in France, and Purcell in England all helped to establish their national traditions in the 17th century. However, in the 18th century, Italian opera continued to dominate most of Europe, except France, attracting foreign composers such as Handel, she recalls.
“Viaggio nel Romanticismo” was the title of an Italian classical concert performed by a team of musicians who kept the audience spellbound. Soprano Agnese, violinist Origen Ioan Todoran, a Romanian who currently pursues studies in Italy, and pianist Cristiana Manfroni drew a round of applause as they individually or together performed a dozen items.
Agnese, who sang with passion, brought back memories of professional opera singers. “I’m not a professional but am still learning to be a good singer,” Agnese told Arab News. “I am a graduate of music and am specializing as a soprano. I have a lot to learn and hope to earn the appreciation of opera fans,” says Rome-based Agnese who is currently on a visit to Riyadh where her father works in a reputable company.
Pianist Cristiana obtained her degree in music in 1994 and has since been giving performances. Based in Perugia, a notable artistic center of Italy, she gives piano lessons to learners and budding talents. “I started playing the piano when I was seven years old,” says Cristiana, now 24. She is also part of a Florence-based orchestra that has been giving performances in Europe and elsewhere in the world. In fact, she belongs to a family of musicians. Her father is an accomplished guitarist, and her brother and sister play the piano. The other sister is a singer.
