Cavalli's Pompeo Magno
Max Emanuel Cenčić (stage director), Leonardo García Alarcón (conductor) — With Max Emanuel Cenčić (Pompeo Magno), Mariana Flores (Issicratea), Valerio Contaldo (Mitidrate)...
Cast
Max Emmanuel Cenčić — Stage director, dramaturgy
Helmut Stürmer — Set designer
Corina Gramosteanu — Costumes designer
Léo Petrequin — Lighting designer
Fabián Schofrin — Dramaturgy
Max Emmanuel Cenčić — Pompeo Magno
Mariana Flores — Issicratea
Valerio Contaldo — Mitridate
Program notes
Presented at the prestigious Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival, Max Emanuel Čenčic's staging breathes new life into Francesco Cavalli's Pompeo Magno alongside the celebrated Cappella Mediterranea and their founder and musical director, Leonardo García-Alarcón. This opera plunges us into the political tensions and dramas that preceded the fall of Pompeii, including ambitious rivalries, family ties, and irreconciliable passions. Faithful to the aesthetics of Cavalli's 17th-century Venice, the work alternates between scenes of tragedy, burlesque episodes, and moments of pure musical poetry, brimming with expressive contrasts and evocative instrumental effects.
This production overflows with vocal talents, featuring the remarkable control and agile coloratura of countertenor Nicolò Balducci (Sextus); the luminous soprano tone of Mariana Flores (Hypsicratia), who brings an extraordinary facility to her high register with crystal-clear articulation and ornamentation; and stage director Max Emanuel Čenčic's tour de force in the title role, combining lyrical precision with noble theatricality. Victor Sicard (Caesar) deftly deploys the work's comic undertones, and Valerio Contaldo (Mithridate) shows off its contemplative poetry. Carried along by García-Alarcón's lively direction, the orchestra highlights every sparkling transition and emotional beat, paying a respectful and celebratory tribute to the dramatic genius of Cavalli.
