Contemporary Directorial Perspectives on Gioachino Rossini’s Historical Operas
Contemporary Directorial Perspectives on Gioachino Rossini’s Historical Operas

Summary/Abstract: On the example of some selected productions of Gioachino Rossini’s works at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, we have explored some approaches of today’s directors to historical operas. In principle, the author welcomes concepts in which directors use visuals or movement stylization, reach for elements of absurdity, hyperbole, or persiflage, (re)interpret archetypes, or treats subjects resonating in modern society through historical operas: she supports their ambitions by arguing that the composer himself treated historical events and personalities loosely and with considerable authorial licence. However, she considers the insufficient compatibility between the directorial and dramaturgical ideas and their fulfilment on stage, and the stark aesthetic mismatch between the staging interpretation and the character of Rossini’s music, to be a problem.

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