Idalma

Bernardo Pasquini: "L'Idalma overo Chi la dura la vince" (Opera in 3 acts)
Libretto by Giuseppe Domenico de Totis
First performance: Rome, Teatro Capranica, 6 February 1680
New edition by Giovanna Barbati and Alessandro De Marchi, based on the manuscript V. m. 4.19 of the Bibliothèque nationale de France
Performance in Italian with German surtitles

It was meant to be a major coup. The guarantors for this were Bernardo Pasquini, a fixture in Roman music for almost a decade, and the highly-talented, up-and-coming librettist and poet, Giuseppe Domenico de Totis.
“Idalma overo Chi la dura la vince” (“Idalma, or who perseveres, wins”) became an unprecedented success and was re-enacted throughout Italy soon after. Today, “Idalma” is considered a highlight of Pasquini's operatic work. This is ensured by brilliant arias full of expressiveness and power, rich instrumentation, lively ensembles and a sensitive musical composition that takes full account of the continuous change of emotions and dramatic situations.
Festival Director Alessandro De Marchi returns once more to conduct the international Innsbruck Festival Orchestra. The ensemble of top-class singers, led by audience favourite Arianna Vendittelli, is guided by the young Italian director Alessandra Premoli through the abysses and confusions of the plot.