Contemporary Italian Opera: The Sadomasochist and the Sublime

In terms of opera, Italian composers are way ahead of the game. The rich heritage of the operatic medium has continued to transform over time, and Italian composers, Ada Gentile and Fabrizio de Rossi Re are at the forefront of this new generation.
On October 3rd at the Center for New Music, Pianists Anthony Porter and Sarah Cahill, Soprano Amy Foote, and Bass Richard Mix perform a world premiere staged version of Ada Gentile‘s La giornata di un soprano isterico (A day in the life of a hysterical soprano; 2013), on a libretto by Sandro Cappelletto and a semi-staged version of Fabrizio de Rossi Re‘s King Kong, amore mio (King Kong, My Love; 2011), on a libretto by Luis Gabriel Santiago.
La giornata di un soprano isterico details the extreme power dynamic between a soprano (Foote) and her accompanist (Porter). Cappelletto’s libretto is riddled with traditional Italian Opera (he is a well known opera critic in Italy) yet still focuses on the sadomasochist nature of this particular soprano/accompanist relationship. King Kong, amore mio begins in the same vein as the original 1933 film but quickly diverges through a Darwinian lens, forcing the characters of King Kong (Mix) and Viola (Foote) to navigate their budding love through the technologically and scientifically advanced twenty first century.
The event is produced by the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco. Both operas will be performed in English, translated by Foote and Mix with help from Luciano Chessa. Stage Direction by Amy Foote in collaboration with Luciano Chessa.
Tickets are available at the door at the Center for New Music. ($15/ $10 members)