L'Orontea

The project aiming to rediscover the Italian origins of opera and the limitless riches of the Baroque as it developed in Naples, Rome, and Venice has recently brought two premieres to the La Scala stage: La Calisto by Francesco Cavalli and Li zite ’ngalera by Leonardo Vinci. The exploration continues in 2024 with Orontea by Antonio Cesti; after its debut in Innsbruck in 1656, it became one of the most frequently performed operas of that century, thanks partly to the seductive immediacy of certain arias, before falling into undeserved oblivion. An important chapter in the rediscovery was the production staged by Bruno Bartoletti at the Piccola Scala in 1961 with mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza. The new La Scala production, conducted by the illustrious specialist Giovanni Antonini, marks the return of director Robert Carsen with a Baroque opera after his triumphant rendition of Händel’s Giulio Cesare.