Gustavo Dudamel and Marina Abramović will collaborate this weekend at the Teatro di San Carlo in a staged symphonic programme combining music, theatre, and video.
The performances, scheduled for 18 and 19 April, mark Dudamel’s debut with the Teatro di San Carlo orchestra and are presented as a coproduction with the New York Philharmonic.
The programme brings together two early 20th-century works: L’Histoire du soldat by Igor Stravinsky and El amor brujo by Manuel de Falla. Both pieces, written in the context of the First World War and the Parisian avant-garde, explore themes of fate, the supernatural, and personal transformation.
Abramović signs the artistic concept, with video by filmmaker Nabil Elderkin, in a production that integrates projected imagery with the musical performance. The project moves away from a conventional concert format, incorporating performative and visual elements alongside the orchestral score.
In El amor brujo, the Spanish mezzo-soprano Pasión Vega takes part in a version of the work that foregrounds its theatrical origins, with additional stage presence by performer Sara Maurizi. The piece, originally conceived as a gitanería, centres on the figure of Candela and draws on Andalusian musical traditions.
Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du soldat, conceived as a hybrid theatre work, is performed here in Italian, with actor Valentino Mannias taking the speaking role. The work tells the story of a soldier who exchanges his violin for wealth, in a narrative shaped as a moral parable.
Both works are presented with Italian and English surtitles.
The performances also coincide with the anniversary year of Manuel de Falla, marking 150 years since his birth and 80 years since his death.
More info, here.
This article was produced by the Moto Perpetuo editorial team.
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