PULCINELLA / LA FAVOLA DI ORFEO - Festival della Valle d'Itria 2026

A diptych of works that reinterpret myth and classical tradition in a twentieth-century light, two masterpieces that bring us back to the roots of our culture, united under the direction of Jean Renshaw, an Anglo-German artist who has previously participated in the Festival, and under the baton of Nicolò Umberto Foron, a talent from the international scene who is conducting an opera for the first time in Italy.

"Pulcinella," a ballet with singing in one act from 1920, was commissioned by Sergey Diaghilev, the genius impresario of the Russian Ballets, from Stravinsky. The work fuses archetypal masks of Mediterranean tradition with the music of Pergolesi and that Neapolitan eighteenth century characterized by theatricality, rhythmic vitality, and gestural flair. Through a distinctly twentieth-century lens, the Russian composer filters these elements with a highly personal touch, breaking rhythmic regularity, intervening in harmony, and giving all pieces a new instrumental color.

"The Fable of Orpheus" by Alfredo Casella, a chamber opera in one act rarely performed, was composed in 1932 to a libretto by Corrado Pavolini based on Poliziano's "Fabula di Orfeo." The myth of the Thracian singer, poet among poets, and his quest for his beloved Eurydice in the Underworld has traversed the long history of the arts as a powerful reflection on the themes of death and the very nature of journey. Casella provides a classicist interpretation, linked to the great tradition of Western music, outlining the instrumental and polyphonic discourse with clarity and precision.
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