Friday, Sept. 23 (9 p.m.) at the Ridotto of the Teatro del Popolo
evening sponsored by the Associazione Amici della Lirica “Umberto Borsò” (free admission)
Arturo Toscanini coined the term “Angel Voice” for her in the concert that reopened La Scala Theater in Milan in 1946. This is surely one of the fondest memories of Renata Tebaldi, one of the most beloved opera singers in Italy and abroad from the postwar period to the early 1970s, to whom the Associazione Amici della Lirica “Umberto Borsò” is dedicating an evening on the centenary of her birth through a conference-concert scheduled for Friday, Sept. 23 (9 p.m.) at the Ridotto del Teatro del Popolo (free admission).
The evening, which enjoys the patronage of the Municipality of Castelfiorentino, is presented as a well-rounded tribute to the famous soprano, with a talk by music critic Fabrizio Moschini, musical interludes by sopranos Chiara Nesti and Ilaria Tarchiani, piano music by Nicoletta Cantini, and the projection of some videos.
Renata Tebaldi, born in 1922, has had a career studded with great successes, performing in almost all the most prestigious Italian and foreign theaters: from La Scala in Milan to the Arena in Verona, from the Opera in Rome to the San Carlo in Naples, while abroad her concerts in the United States (New York, San Francisco, Chicago), as well as in Vienna, Barcelona, Paris, and London, are not to be counted. His musical repertoire is rich, for which during the evening of Friday 23 at the Ridotto it will be possible to listen to six pieces, the result of a not obvious selection and careful research by the Association “Amici della Lirica Umberto Borsò.”
“A beautiful initiative,” observes Deputy Mayor with responsibility for Culture, Claudia Centi, “organized by the new board of the association, aimed at enhancing and spreading the passion for Opera music, a tradition that has its origins in our history and our beloved Theater. I would like to remind you that the conference-concert is free admission, and is therefore an opportunity even for those unfamiliar with Opera to try to spend an evening in a different way.”
“We are happy to inaugurate the activity of the new group that leads the association,” emphasizes Martina Barreca, president of the association “Amici della Lirica Umberto Borsò,” “with the figure of the great Renata Tebaldi, and in this regard we have been working on an evening of great depth, where testimonials, video and concert will combine to remind the public of the most beautiful voice of the past century.”
As you may recall, the castellan association renewed its officers a few months ago, making room for young people, such as Martina Barreca (president), tenor Francesco Marchetti (vice president), pianist Nicoletta Cantini, conductor and violinist Gabriele Centorbi, and contralto Elisabetta Vuocolo.
During the evening there will also be an opportunity to join the association “Amici della Lirica Umberto Borsò”: the membership will entitle the member to some concessions for concerts that will be organized in the future. Refreshments will also be provided at the end of the conference-concert.