Italian ensemble Umberto Giordano is performing a concert-show about the life and work of the great composer
No event that's part of Dubrovnik Summer Festival can be singled out as the most attractive one, as they just keep serving us with alluring cultural nights. After the gorgeous concert of Stefan Milenković and Rohan de Silva, the Rector's Palace will again host a music spectacle: the Italian ensemble Umberto Giordano is coming to perform a programme called Ludwig's Songs on Sunday, 23 July.
Ludwig in the title is, as you would expect, Ludwig van Beethoven; the performance is devised as a play that aims to shed some light on the life and work of the legendary composer. An actor reads an imaginary letter written by Beethoven's nephew Karl to the English publisher George Thompson in which Karl informs him of his uncle's death. He proceeds to tell the story of Beethoven's life, alternated with his eternal music themes.
The programme is focused on some of the lesser known Beethoven's pieces, like his folk songs, but will present the audience with his most famous symphonies and compositions as well in order to offer a well-rounded image of the music genius. The text that accompanies the music was written by Francesco Sanvitale.
The Umberto Giordano ensemble from Foggia in Italy is a chamber music group, composed of classical musicians who are known for their impressive careers: violinist Dino De Palma, cellist Luciano Tarantino, pianist Marco Moresco, soprano Ripalta Bufo and tenor Aldo Caputo. Their original and refined projects and music programmes keep them a favourite of both the audience and the critics.
Ludwig's Songs will also feature a performance of Giampiero Mancini, an Italian actor who was pronounced 'one of the brightest talents of Italian theatre' at the age of 19. His versatility enables him to play roles in completely different genres, but the ideal form of expression for Mancini turned out to be a role of an actor-singer, as he keeps collaborating with most distinguished Italian and international symphony institutions as an actor, director and playwright.
You can still get the tickets for Ludwig's Songs online, at box offices in Luža and the Festival Palace and at the entrance to the Rector's Palace one hour before the event. The programme starts at 21:30, and you can find more details here.
