Very Juicy

In spite of the economic and financial crisis, Rome's 2012 summer has not been short of music: eg the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia had a major Beethoven symphonies series; the Accademia Filarmonica Romana had a contemporary music program, several foreign cultural academies (most notably those of France and Germany) also offered contemporary composers; a few small opera companies -- one of them organized by an American conductor and with mostly Anglo-American singers -- performed in courtyards of baroque palaces or in Roman ruins. To provide a full account several pages would be required; more significantly, the report would be of little interest to many readers.

Let us focus on the Teatro dell'Opera summer season in the monumental Baths of Caracalla, a huge thermal complex which provides a vast natural auditorium and natural scenery for opera and which also has a smaller hall (the former 'Eastern Gymnasium' for the Roman athletes), perfect for smaller concerts. The program was very juicy: ballet, operas, concerts by international orchestras and concerts by the young trainees of the Teatro dell'Opera...