Lamenti

Silvia Tro Santafé & Narratio Quartet

When words are no longer enough to express our most intimate feelings, music becomes the language of choice. Accompanied by Julian Reynolds and the Narratio Quartet, Silvia Tro Santafé deploys the full richness of her voice in a two-part recital exploring the intense and profound emotions of Italian lamenti.  

The mezzo-soprano first delves into the baroque repertoire, with works by Monteverdi, Scarlatti and Vivaldi inspired by Graeco-Roman antiquity: whether Ariadne’s lament at being abandoned by Theseus, King Pharnace’s despair at the idea that his own son has been killed on his orders, or the tenderness of Perseus seeking to save Andromeda from the clutches of a terrible sea monster…  

After the interval, Silvia Tro Santafé will take you on a journey through the classicism of Gluck and Orpheus’s famous lament over the loss of his Eurydice, then on to the symphonic romanticism of Bellini, before giving way to the bel canto pieces of Rossini with his cantata Giovanna d'Arco. To conclude this evening steeped in myth and legend, the singer will turn to the contemporary repertoire and the final Monologue composed by Jake Heggie for the Tony Award-winning play Master Class. A title that suggests what you can expect.