Festival della Valle d’Itria

Staged at the 45th Festival della Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca, this 2019 production of Nicola Antonio Manfroce's rare opera Ecuba brings a forgotten early-19th-century tragedy back to the spotlight. Directed, designed, and costumed by Pier Luigi Pizzi, the staging delivers a striking visual interpretation of Giovanni Schmidt's libretto surrounding the aftermath of the Trojan War. Under the musical direction of Sesto Quatrini, the performance features powerful vocal delivery from Lidia Fridman and Carmela Remigio alternating in the title role alongside an accomplished ensemble. Backed by the Orchestra del Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, this gripping revival offers an intense, rarely-heard exploration of classical myth and maternal grief.

Handel’s Rinaldo was presented at the 2018 Festival della Valle d’Itria in its rare Neapolitan version of 1718, reconstructed from historical sources by musicologist Giovanni Andrea Sechi. Created in Naples by Leonardo Leo and other composers after the opera’s success in London, this version incorporates additional music, comic characters and intermezzi, and was performed in modern times for the first time. Fabio Luisi conducted the baroque ensemble La Scintilla, with Teresa Iervolino as Rinaldo and Carmela Remigio as Armida. Giorgio Sangati’s colourful, rock-inspired production transformed the protagonists into pop-culture figures, including Rinaldo as Freddie Mercury and Armida as Cher.