L’Organo all’Opera

**The Organ at Work**

Arlene Miatto Albeldas, *mezzo-soprano*
Pierluigi Lippolis, *organ*

Between the 1700s and the 1800s, operatic music, which in Italy saw tremendous development thanks to musicians who wrote its history, progressively shifted from private salons and small theaters to large public theaters, including the San Carlo in Naples, becoming an increasingly popular musical genre.

The complete lack of mass media, unlike our times, pushed Italian composers to make transpositions of the most famous opera themes, sometimes only imitating the style and at other times precisely reproducing the best-known musical themes.

Particularly in Italy, in the 1800s, the operatic style became dominant not only in theater music but also in Italian instrumental music, and its dissemination occurred through the organ present in all churches. (Later on, bands would also spread this genre of repertoire.) The combination of organ and opera became so strong that even in the musical moments of the "Ordinarium Missae," liturgical pieces of sacred music would once again be operatic paraphrases (such as the Offertorio piece by Giovanni Morandi).

Giovanni Paisiello was a pioneer in this evolution of instrumental musical language; in fact, he was among the first to transcribe some of the opening symphonies of his most famous works for the organ.

Arlene Miatto Albeldas and Pierluigi Lippolis represent two different and complementary musical paths.
Padua-born mezzo-soprano Arlene Miatto Albeldas, trained at the "Santa Cecilia" Conservatory in Rome and further refined in prestigious international academies, is a winner of important opera competitions and has already collaborated with prominent theaters and festivals in Italy and abroad. An interpreter of leading operatic roles and active in symphonic and sacred repertoire, she combines opera with a personal musical research that ranges from funk to blues to electronic, with original projects also inspired by poetry.

Organist and choir director Pierluigi Lippolis, from Taranto, graduated in organ and piano, honed his education in Italy and the Netherlands, dedicating himself particularly to ancient and romantic music. A winner of national competitions and featured in recordings for Rai and international broadcasters, he has engaged in an intense concert activity, including duos with renowned musicians. He has directed numerous choirs and currently leads the "Taras Health Chorus," in addition to teaching organ and Gregorian chant at the "Paisiello" Conservatory in Taranto.
Web: amicidellamusicataranto.it/...