Adaneth - Arts & Literature

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi Librettist: Francesco Maria Piave Premiere: Original version: 14 March 1847, Florence (Teatro della Pergola) Language: Italian Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/verdi/macbeth/synopsis/ Libretto: https://www.opera-arias.com/verdi/macbeth/libretto/ Translation in English: https://www.opera-arias.com/verdi/macbeth/libretto/english/ Cast & Characters: Željko Lučić as Macbeth Anna Netrebko as Lady Macbeth Ildebrando D'Arcangelo as Banco Yusif Eyvazov as Macduff Konu Kim as Malcom Francesca Chiejina as Dama di Lady Macbeth Simon Shibambu as Doctor Jonathan Fisher as Servant Royal Opera Chorus and The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Conductor Antonio Pappano Director Phyllida Lloyd Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. Written for the Teatro della Pergola in Florence, it was Verdi's tenth opera and premiered on 14 March 1847. Macbeth was the first Shakespeare play that Verdi adapted for the operatic stage. The Royal Opera’s production uses Verdi’s 1865 Paris revision of the opera, which includes Lady Macbeth’s riveting aria ‘La luce langue’. After the success of Attila in 1846, by which time the composer had become well established, Macbeth came before the great successes of 1851 to 1853 (Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La traviata) which propelled him into universal fame. Verdi’s life-long love affair with Shakespeare’s works began with Macbeth, a play he considered to be ‘one of the greatest creations of man’. With his librettist Francesco Maria Piave Verdi set out to create ‘something out of the ordinary’. Their success is borne out in every bar of a score that sees Verdi at his most theatrical: it bristles with demonic energy. As sources, Shakespeare's plays provided Verdi with lifelong inspiration: some, such as an adaption of King Lear (as Re Lear) were never realized, but he wrote his two final operas using Othello as the basis for Otello (1887) and The Merry Wives of Windsor as the basis for Falstaff (1893). ACT I Scene 1: A wood Returning from a victory, Macbeth is greeted by witches who hail him not only by his rightful title, Thane of Glamis, but also as Thane of Cawdor and future king. They hail his companion Banquo as the ancestor of a line of kings. Messengers from the king greet Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor, explaining that the previous holder of the title has been executed. Macbeth broods over the other prophecy, but decides not to lift his hand against the king, while Banquo reflects that such prophecies could be a trap leading to destruction. Scene 2: A hall in Macbeth's castle Lady Macbeth reads the letter in which Macbeth relates these events, and eagerly awaits his return, so that she can strengthen his resolve to obtain the crown. She greets with delight the news that King Duncan intends to pass the night at the castle, and when Macbeth arrives, easily convinces him to murder the king. Duncan appears with his retinue, including his son, Malcolm. On his way to commit the murder, Macbeth has a hallucination, seeing a dagger in the air, and strange noises accompany the deed. Stricken with terror and guilt, he is unable to take back the dagger which he has inadvertently brought with him. Lady Macbeth derides his fear, puts back the dagger and tells him to wash his hands and assume an appearance of innocence. Knocking at the gate heralds the arrival of Macduff and Banquo. Macduff goes to call the king while Banquo muses on the dreadful night, full of portents. Macduff's announcement of the murder provokes horror and cries to heaven for vengeance from all, including Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. ACT II Scene 1: A room in Macbeth's castle Macbeth confesses to his wife that he is brooding over the witches' prophecy that Banquo's descendants will be kings, and resolves to have him killed. Lady Macbeth exults that their claim to the throne will soon be unchallenged, even if at the cost of more killing. Scene 2: A park outside Macbeth's castle Banquo's forebodings are fulfilled when he is set upon and killed, but his son Fleance escapes. Scene 3: A hall in the castle A banquet is in progress and Lady Macbeth invites the guests to drink. One of the murderers reports that Banquo has been killed, but Fleance has escaped. Macbeth, about to take his seat, is confronted by Banquo's ghost, which only he can see. The guests are puzzled by his horror, but he recovers when the ghost vanishes and Lady Macbeth resumes her song in an attempt to restore the interrupted conviviality. But the ghost reappears and Macbeth's terror arouses the suspicions of the guests. Macduff decides to flee and Macbeth resolves to visit the witches again.

Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Librettist: Lorenzo da Ponte Premiere: 29 October 1787, Prague (Gräflich Nostitzsches Nationaltheater) Language: Italian Cast: Cesare Siepi, Dezső Ernster, Elisabeth Grümmer, Anton Dermota, Lisa Della Casa, Otto Edelmann, Erna Berger, Walter Berry. The Choir of Wiener Staatsoper Wiener Philharmoniker Wilhelm Furtwängler Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legend about a libertine as told by playwright Tirso de Molina in his 1630 play El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra. It is a dramma giocoso blending comedy, melodrama and supernatural elements (although the composer entered it into his catalogue simply as opera buffa). It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the National Theater (of Bohemia), now called the Estates Theatre, on 29 October 1787. Don Giovanni is regarded as one of the greatest operas of all time. Synopsis: Don Giovanni, a young, arrogant, and sexually promiscuous nobleman, abuses and outrages everyone else in the cast until he encounters something he cannot kill, beat up, dodge, or outwit. ACT I Leporello waits outside a house where his master, Don Giovanni, is forcing himself upon Donna Anna. She cries for help and her father, the Commendatore, runs to her assistance. In the ensuing fight Don Giovanni kills the Commendatore. Donna Anna and her betrothed, Don Ottavio, vow revenge. Donna Elvira, recently jilted by Don Giovanni, arrives in search of the Don; he makes good his escape by leaving Leporello to read out his "book of conquests", in which the names of the Don's 2065 lovers are recorded. Don Giovanni comes across a peasant wedding and promptly begins to charm the bride, Zerlina, but Elvira arrives and alerts her to the Don's intentions. Donna Anna and Don Ottavio then arrive, and as the Don takes his leave of them, Anna identifies him as the man who had tried to rape her. At a party hold by Don Giovanni, Zerlina reassures her lover Masetto of her affections, but she begins to weaken in the Don's presence. Wearing masks, Anna, Elvira and Ottavio arrive at the ball, which is interrupted by Zerlina's scream. She stumbles onto the stage, the Don attempts to blame Leporello for the attack, and Anna, Elvira and Ottavio unmask themselves to publicly denounce the Don. ACT II Don Giovanni exchanges his costume with Leporello and serenades Elvira's maid as soon as Elvira has left with Leporello, believing him to be the remorseful Don. Masetto arrives with a gang of men who are intent on punishing the Don. The Don, pretending to be Leporello, tells Masetto how to find the murderer, then beats Masetto half to death. The Don and his servant meet in a graveyard, where the statue of the Commendatore addresses them; Don flippantly invites him to supper. The statue duly arrives and demands the Don's repentance. Unbending, Don Giovanni is finally dragged screaming into hell. Elvira, Ottavio, Anna and Leporello address the audience with the moral: "Evildoers always come to an evil end."

Composer: Vincenzo Bellini Librettist: Felice Romani Premiere: 26 December 1831, Milan (La Scala) Language: Italian Subtitles: English Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/bellini/norma/synopsis/ Cast & Characters: Joan Sutherland as Norma Clifford Grant as Oroveso Margreta Elkins as Aldagisa Ron Stevens as Pollione Etela Piha as Clotilde Trevor Brown as Flavio The Australian Opera Chorus The Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra Conductor: Richard Bonynge Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after the play Norma, ou L'infanticide (Norma, or The Infanticide) by Alexandre Soumet. It was first produced at La Scala in Milan on 26 December 1831. Summary: The action takes place in Gaul under the Roman occupation, and is centered on the love triangle between Pollione, the Roman proconsul of Gaul, Norma, his former companion, and the young Adalgisa. The background is the uprising of the Gallic people against the Roman occupiers, led by the Druid Oroveso. Norma, the high priestess of the Druid temple, who had two children by Pollione, the Roman proconsul of Gaul, breaking her Druid chastity vows, discovers that her lover is now in love with her friend, the young Druid priestess Adalgisa. Norma tries to convince Pollione to give up Adalgisa and return to her, but he refuses. Norma publicly confesses her fault and is sentenced to death by fire. Pollione is moved by Norma’s self-sacrifice and joins her at the stake. The opera is regarded as a leading example of the bel canto genre, and the soprano prayer "Casta diva" in Act 1 is a famous piece. Among the well known singers of Norma of the first half of the 20th century was Rosa Ponselle who played the role in New York and London. Notable exponents of the title role in the post-war period have been Maria Callas, Leyla Gencer, Joan Sutherland, and Montserrat Caballé. The title role—"one of the most taxing and wide-ranging parts in the entire repertory" - is one of the most difficult in the soprano repertoire. It calls for great vocal control of range, flexibility, and dynamics as well as containing a wide range of emotions: conflict of personal and public life, romantic life, maternal love, friendship, jealousy, murderous intent, and resignation. The German soprano Lilli Lehmann once remarked that the singing of all three Brünnhilde roles of Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen in one evening would be less stressful than the singing of one Norma. She also commented "When you sing Wagner, you are so carried away by the dramatic emotion, the action, and the scene that you do not have to think how to sing the words. That comes of itself. But in Bellini, you must always have a care for beauty of tone and correct emission." According to the Met Opera Archives, Lehmann said this to Herald Tribune critic Henry Krehbiel. Throughout the 20th century, many singers have tackled the role of Norma. In the early 1920s, it was Rosa Raisa, Claudia Muzio, and Rosa Ponselle who were each admired. Maria Callas emerged as a major force in the role in the post-World War II period. In the 1960s, two very different performers sang the role: the Australian Dame Joan Sutherland and the Turkish Leyla Gencer. Following Sutherland's 1963 debut as Norma, Luciano Pavarotti called her "the greatest female voice of all time."

A 1957 Film of recorded live performance of the best of the Bolshoi Ballet's first ever visit to London on its 1956 tour. Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Yuri Faier (Rachmaninov, Glinka, Gounod, Saint-Sa‘ns and Adam) and Gennady Rozhdestvensky (Asafiev and Tchaikovsky) Repertoire: - Boris ASAFIEV (1884-1949) Dance of the Tartars (from The Fountain of Bakhchisaray) (1934) - Piotr Il'ič TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Spanish Dance (from Swan Lake) (1877) - Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Spring Waters (from the song, op.14) (1896) - Mikhail GLINKA (1804-1857) Polonaise and Cracovienne (from A Life for the Tsar) (1836) - Charles GOUNOD (1818-1893) Walpurgisnacht (from Faust) (1859) - Camille SAINT-SAèNS (1835-1921) The Dying Swan (from The Carnival of the Animals) (1886) - Adolphe ADAM (1803-1856) Giselle - A ballet in two acts (1844) Interpreters: Galina Ulanova as Giselle Nikolai Fadeyechev as Albrecht Taisia Monakhova as Berthe Alexander Radunsky as The Duke of Courland Irina Makedonskaya as Bathilde Vladimir Levashev as Hilarion Rimma Karelskaya as Myrtha Choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky

Act II: Frollo and Gringoire discuss the events and scientific discoveries taking place and how some of them (such as Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press and Martin Luther’s doctrines) are changing the world forever ("Florence"). Gringoire notices how silent the cathedral is and Frollo tells him that Quasimodo has not rung the bells for three days. Up in the bell tower, Quasimodo recounts how the cathedral bells are his only friends and loves ("Les cloches"), especially the three "Maries": "Little Marie" which is rung for children's funerals, "Big Marie" which is rung when ships set sail and "Great Marie" which is rung for weddings. His greatest hope is that they will ring for Esméralda to hear that he loves her. Frollo asks Gringoire where his "wife" is ("Ou est Elle?"); Gringoire says he does not know and answers obliquely (but he tells Clopin, who has been searching for Esmeralda, that she has been imprisoned in the prison of La Sainte and that she will be hanged if Clopin doesn't save her). In her cell, Esmeralda compares herself to a caged bird and calls to Quasimodo to save her, while back at Notre Dame Quasimodo wonders about Esmeralda's disappearance three days earlier and fears for her safety ("Les oiseaux qu'on met en cage"). Clopin and a group of outcasts are arrested and thrown into the La Sainte prison ("Condamnes") as Esmeralda is put on trial for the attempted murder of Phoebus and sorcery with Frollo as presiding judge ("Le procès" / "La torture"); when she refuses to confess, she is subjected to a foot-crushing torture until she cries out "I confess!" Frollo sentences her to death by hanging, but Esmeralda still professes her love for Phoebus and Frollo is left to suffer from the emotional torment of his unrequited passion ("Être prêtre et aimer une femme"). Esmeralda calls Phoebus to save her (“Phoebus”) Elsewhere, a recovered Phoebus is confronted by Fleur-de-Lys, but he claims as an excuse that he was bewitched by Esmeralda's "sorcery" ("Je reviens vers toi"). Fleur-de-Lys tells him that he will still have her heart and love if he will swear to have Esmeralda executed ("La monture"). At five o'clock in the morning of the execution, Frollo visits Esméralda's cell and to her horror confesses to her that he knifed Phoebus out of love for her ("Visite de Frollo a Esmeralda" / "Un matin tu dansais") and offers her a choice: death on the gallows or life by giving him love. When Esmeralda rejects his advances, he tries to rape her, but Quasimodo (who has secretly followed him) frees Clopin and the other prisoners. Clopin attacks Frollo, knocking him unconscious, and releases Esméralda and they flee the prison to Notre Dame for sanctuary ("Liberes"). Gringoire sings to the moon ("Lune") in which he describes Quasimodo's pain and suffering because of his love for Esméralda. Quasimodo leaves Esmeralda asleep in a safe place in Notre Dame ("Je te laisse un sifflet"), but bitterly reflects that while he will love her forever, his ugliness will ensure that she will never love him ("Dieu que le monde est injuste"). Alone, Esmeralda hopes that she will survive for the man she loves and sings about how Love has the power to change the world even should she die ("Vivre"). With Clopin and his people occupying Notre Dame, Frollo orders Phoebus and his men to break sanctuary and attack the cathedral to drive them out ("L’Attaque de Notre Dame"). Clopin and his people resist bravely but are no match for the armed soldiers, and in the first attack Clopin is fatally wounded. Dying, he begs Esmeralda to take his place as leader. The final battle has Esmeralda and her people facing off against Phoebus and his soldiers, but the result is a foregone conclusion – Esmeralda is captured and the outcasts defeated. Phoebus coldbloodedly hands Esmeralda over to be executed, orders the outcasts driven out of Paris ("Déportés") and leaves with Fleur-de-Lys. Quasimodo, searching Notre Dame for Esmeralda, finds Frollo standing at the top of one of the towers and begs him to help Esmeralda ("Mon maitre, mon sauveur"). Frollo, finally driven insane, shows him the sight of Esmeralda being hanged and to Quasimodo's horror announces that he is responsible. As he laughs wildly, the enraged Quasimodo seizes him and hurls him down the stairs of the tower to his death. As the executioners are cutting down Esmeralda's body from the gibbet, Quasimodo appears and demands that they give him her body ("Donnez-la moi"). Driving them away, he kneels beside her body and mourns her, promising to stay with her and that even in death they will not be parted ("Danse, mon Esmeralda"). After the curtain call, Gringoire leads the cast in a reprise of "Le temps des cathédrales".

Notre-Dame de Paris is a sung-through French musical which debuted on 16 September 1998 in Paris. Audio in French with English subtitles. It is based upon the novel Notre-Dame de Paris (known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) by the French novelist Victor Hugo. The music was composed by Riccardo Cocciante (also known as Richard Cocciante) and the lyrics are by Luc Plamondon. Since its debut, it has been professionally played in Belgium, Canada, China, France, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States, and has been translated into eight languages (English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Korean, Flemish, Polish, and Kazakh). A shorter version in English was performed in 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada (United States) and a full-length London production, also in English, ran for seventeen months. Several songs from the show, such as "Vivre", "Belle" and "Le temps des cathédrales", have been released as singles with a huge success in French speaking countries. As of 2022, two original stars, Daniel Lavoie and Bruno Pelletier played Gringoire and Frollo in Canada. Notre-Dame de Paris, according to the Guinness Book of Records, had the most successful first year of any musical ever. Act I: The story is set in Paris in the year 1482. The poet Gringoire, who throughout the story acts not only as a participant but also as a sort of commentator, enters to set the scene for the story; he relates how Man has written his history in the building of the cathedrals ("Le temps des cathédrales"). The homeless and refugees, led by Clopin, swarm before the entrance to the Cathedral of Notre Dame begging for help and sanctuary ("Les sans-papiers"). Frollo, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame, orders Phoebus, the Captain of the Royal Archers, to have his men disperse the crowd ("Intervention de Frollo"). As his men are driving off the refugees, Phoebus catches sight of the beautiful Romani girl Esmeralda (in later productions, the scene changes to have him see her while she is dancing before Notre Dame) and is entranced by her. Esmeralda tells him about herself, her life as a Traveller, and her dreams ("Bohémienne"). Instead of arresting her, Phoebus leaves her alone. Clopin, who has watched over Esmeralda since she was eight years old after the death of her parents, tells her that she is no longer a child and that she has reached the age where she will discover love ("Esmeralda tu sais"). He warns her to be extremely careful, since not all men are to be trusted. In the next number, the audience is introduced to the nobly-born and beautiful Fleur-de-Lys, to whom Phoebus is engaged to be married. Fleur-de-Lys's love for Phoebus is childish and irrational, like that of Juliet for Romeo ("Ces diamants-là"). Now begins the wild and coloured Feast of Fools, presided over by Gringoire ("La fête des fous"), the climax of which is the choosing of the King of Fools from among the group of people who can make the ugliest face; the King will be crowned by Esmeralda. Hiding in the shadows is a monstrous figure who is dragged out into the light; it is the bell-ringer of Notre Dame, the hunchbacked and facially deformed Quasimodo. By unanimous decision, Quasimodo is chosen and crowned as the King of Fools, but he knows that for all the power he has this one day nothing can make a woman such as Esmeralda care for him ("Le pape des fous"). Frollo breaks up the festivities and orders Quasimodo to kidnap Esmeralda and bring her to him that night so that she can be imprisoned as a sorceress and a violator of public decency ("La sorcière"). Quasimodo, who is devoted to Frollo for raising and educating him after he had been abandoned as a baby ("L'enfant trouvé"), says he will obey. Night falls on Paris with its dark and hidden secrets commented on by Gringoire ("Les portes de paris"). Quasimodo stalks Esmeralda through the dark streets and is about to seize her when Phoebus and his guards arrive and arrest Quasimodo. Phoebus introduces himself to Esmeralda. He makes a date for a rendezvous with her the next night at the Cabaret du Val d'Amour. Phoebus and his men take Quasimodo away and Esmeralda darts off into the darkness ("Tentative d'enlèvement"). At the Court of the Miracles, the haven for all of the outcasts of Paris, Clopin presides over a wild revel, remarking that all are truly equal here no matter their race, religion, skin color or criminal background ("La cour des miracles"). Gringoire, who has wandered in accidentally, is seized and Clopin tells him that he will be hanged for his trespassing – unless one of the women will agree to marry him. Esmeralda who has arrived during this, agrees to marry Gringoire (in name only) and Clopin, as King of the Outcasts, unites them and they join in the wild revelry. Later, when Gringoire and Esmeralda are left alone ("Le mot Phoebus") he introduces himself to her as "the Prince of the Streets of Paris" and assures her that while he is not a "ladies' man" ("un homme a femmes"), he would be glad if she would be his Muse and inspiration. Since Gringoire is educated, Esmeralda asks him what the word "Phoebus" means; he tells her that in Latin it means "the sun" or "sun god". Esmeralda muses on the word as it romantically relates to the man Phoebus ("Beau comme le soleil"); she is joined on stage by Fleur-de-Lys, who also muses on Phoebus (although she seems to be more apprehensive about him), but both believe that Phoebus will love them forever. Phoebus himself is under no apprehensions about what kind of man he is – he wants both women, one as a wife and one as a temporary mistress ("Déchiré"). The next day, Frollo summons Gringoire to Notre Dame and questions him about Esmeralda, forbidding him to touch her. Gringoire changes the conversation by asking about a strange inscription in Greek on the wall of the Gallerie des Rois in Notre Dame, the word "Ananké". Frollo tells him that "Ananké" means "Fate" in Greek. They watch as Quasimodo is dragged on stage bound on The Great Wheel as sentence for his attempted kidnapping of Esmeralda ("Anarkia"). Quasimodo endures his punishment, but cries out for water ("A boire"), a plea that is ignored by everyone. Suddenly Esmeralda appears and gives him a drink of water from her cup, an act of kindness that deeply touches the poor hunchback. He is then released from the Wheel, and he, Frollo and Phoebus sing about their different feelings for Esmeralda ("Belle"): Quasimodo about his growing feelings of tenderness for her, Frollo about his growing fascination for her, and Phoebus (watched jealously by Fleur-de-Lys) about his wish for an affair with her before he marries Fleur-de-Lys. Quasimodo leads Esmeralda into Notre Dame and tells her how the cathedral has been his home and sanctuary, and now it can be hers whenever she needs one ("Ma maison c'est ta maison"). In spite of her initial fear of this strange, deformed man, Esmeralda is touched by his gentleness and finds herself warming towards Quasimodo. Left alone, Esmeralda, who has never prayed before, prays to the Virgin Mary ("Ave Maria païen"), while Quasimodo thinks of her ("Si tu pouvais voir en moi"). Frollo, secretly spying on Esmeralda, realizes that his lust for her will destroy him, but knows that he cannot resist nor does he want to ("Tu vas me détruire"). That night, Phoebus is on his way to the Cabaret du Val d’Amour for his rendezvous with Esmeralda when he realizes he is being stalked by a shadowy figure. The figure (Frollo in disguise) warns him to go no further ("L'ombre"), but Phoebus refuses to heed the threat and continues on his way. At Val d’Amour, Gringoire (who seems to be a regular customer) remarks how everyone, no matter the race, creed or color, comes here for a good time of one kind or another ... for a very low price ("Le Val d’Amour"). Phoebus arrives (he seems to be a regular customer here too) and meets Esmeralda in a private room ("La volupté"). They embrace and are about to make love when Frollo rushes in and stabs Phoebus with Esmeralda's knife (which she had placed on the floor earlier). Esmeralda collapses over Phoebus’ body, Frollo makes his escape and Gringoire, Clopin, Frollo, Quasimodo and the Chorus comment on the terrible power of Fate ("Fatalité").

A 2019 Sky Arts Documentary narrated by Helena Bonham Carter. Tintoretto: A Rebel in Venice is a documentary film on the life and works of Tintoretto, directed by Giuseppe Domingo Romano and produced in 2019 by Sky Arts. The film about the furious and revolutionary genius who changed the history of art, created by Melania G. Mazzucco and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, with the extraordinary participation of Peter Greenaway. The documentary was made on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Venetian painter. “The most fiercest brain that painting has ever had” - Giorgio Vasari "A proto-rock star" - David Bowie 1576: the plague tears apart the Serenissima. Venice is invaded by the dead. Who can, flee. Nobles, traders, artists, anyone trying to save themselves. Everyone escapes, except Tintoretto. Born and raised in the lagoon city, the painter is the only one to have painted almost exclusively for his city, as well as being able to boast of having adorned an entire palace with his works, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, today considered his Sistine chapel. Parallel to the story of the painter's life, the documentary follows the restoration process of two masterpieces by Tintoretto: “Maria in meditation” (1582 - 1583) and “Maria in reading” (1582 - 1583). Thanks to the support of Sky, an Italian team carried out a detailed analysis on the works and the restoration of the two paintings before being exhibited in the first monographic exhibition ever dedicated to Tintoretto in the United States, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, in correspondence of the 500th anniversary of his birth. The film is set in historical places where the experts were interviewed and where the works of Tintoretto featured in the film are kept.

Firenze e gli Uffizi è un film d'arte diretto da Luca Viotto, prodotto nel 2015 da Sky in collaborazione con Magnitudo Film e con il patrocinio del Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo e del Comune di Firenze e con il sostegno di Ente Cassa di Risparmio Firenze. Il film è un viaggio multidimensionale e multisensoriale nel Rinascimento italiano attraverso le sue bellezze più rappresentative. La struttura del film è basata sull'alternanza tra narrazione documentaristica ed emotiva. Quest'ultima è affidata, all'interno di un limbo atemporale, alla figura di Lorenzo de' Medici, personaggio chiave del Rinascimento fiorentino entrato in contatto con le personalità artistiche più importanti del periodo. Il racconto-ricordo di Lorenzo il Magnifico è inframmezzato da sequenze dedicate alla scoperta dei luoghi simbolo di Firenze con oltre 10 location museali e 150 opere d'arte mostrate su grande schermo. Dalla Cappella Brancacci (con gli affreschi di Masolino da Panicale e Masaccio, emblema del passaggio da Medioevo a Rinascimento) al Museo del Bargello che ospita il David di Donatello; dalla Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore e la Cupola del Brunelleschi a Palazzo Medici; da Piazza della Signoria a Palazzo Vecchio sino alla Galleria dell'Accademia, che custodisce il David di Michelangelo Buonarroti. Arricchiscono il film d'arte immagini aeree della città, realizzate grazie all'utilizzo di un elicottero e un drone e riprese esclusive in luoghi o punti di vista inediti, come la Cupola del Brunelleschi e Piazza della Signoria ripresa all'alba.

A 2015 Sky Arte, Nexo Digital and Magnitudo Film Documentary, directed by Luca Viotto. Audio in English. A multidimensional and multisensory journey in the Florentine Renaissance through its most representative beauties. More than 10 museum locations and 150 works of which the central fulcrum is naturally represented by the Uffizi Gallery. The emotional narration, set within a timeless limbo, is entrusted to Simon Merrells who, in the role of Lorenzo the Magnificent, will lead us through the memories of 'his' Florence, in an incessant dialogue between past and present. The film crosses the symbolic places of Florence from the Brancacci Chapel (with the frescoes by Masolino and Masaccio, emblem of the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance) to the Bargello Museum which houses the David di Donatello; from S. Maria del Fiore with its sparkling windows and Brunelleschi's Dome to Palazzo Medici; from Piazza della Signoria to Palazzo Vecchio to the Accademia Gallery, which houses Michelangelo's David. The heart of the film is of course the Uffizi Gallery: viewers will be able to access the Tribuna (a place visible to the public only from three external points) and Antonio Natali (director of the Gallery from 2006 to 2015) will accompany us among the works. The narrative excursus inside the Gallery goes from Giotto to Gentile da Fabriano and Piero della Francesca, to Raffaello and Tiziano, from Leonardo's Annunciation to Michelangelo's Toni Doni, without neglecting the symbolic works such as Spring and the Birth of Venus by Botticelli and the Shield of Medusa by Caravaggio, the latter inserted within a chapter dedicated to the 'monstrous' works of the Gallery, including the Madonna della Arpie by Andrea del Sarto, the Calunnia by Botticelli and Giuditta who beheads Holofernes of Artemisia Gentileschi. A pearl of Florence and the Uffizi will be the unveiling of the ongoing restoration of Leonardo's Adoration of the Magi, absent from the Uffizi since 2011. The Film was made possible also thanks to the patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism the Municipality of Florence and with the support of Ente Cassa di Risparmio Firenze.

A 2009 Documentary film directed by Louise Lockwood and written and presented by the philosopher Roger Scruton. Contemporary philosopher Roger Scruton presents a strong argument for the importance of beauty in our art and in our lives, and explores what truly is and is not beautiful, regardless of its beholder. In the 20th century, Scruton argues, art, architecture and music turned their backs on beauty, making a cult of ugliness and leading us into a spiritual desert. Using the thoughts of philosophers from Plato to Kant, and by talking to artists Michael Craig-Martin and Alexander Stoddart, Scruton analyses where art went wrong and presents his own impassioned case for restoring beauty to its traditional position at the center of our civilization.

Un film documentario del 2018 con la regia di Francesco Invernizzi. Interventi di Vittorio Sgarbi e Mario Guderzo. Ci sono uomini che hanno creato opere capaci di illuminare lo sguardo di chi le osserva. Da oltre due secoli, Antonio Canova è uno di questi e con un documentario cinematografico rispondiamo al perché lo scultore sia riconosciuto come il maestro del neoclassicismo e l'ultimo grande artista italiano di livello mondiale. Ripercorriamo la storia che, dalla Venezia che ha visto nascere il suo talento, tocca Francia, Inghilterra, Russia attraverso i fastosi palazzi dell’epoca, ma soprattutto rimane imperniata su Roma. Lo faremo però senza mai lasciare Possagno, perché se le sue opere sono giunte a Parigi, Londra, Vienna, New York, Washington, Berlino, San Pietroburgo, i bozzetti e i modelli originali sono gelosamente custoditi nel paese natale dell’artista, dove giunsero con un epico trasferimento voluto dal fratellastro in nave e su carri da Roma dopo la sua scomparsa.

Matera – L’Ascolto dei Sassi is a 2019 Docu-Film directed by Francesco Invernizzi and Vito Salinaro. Audio in Italian with English subtitles. An unforgettable journey between culture, art and history. This charming city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Recognized as one of the most sought-after tourist destinations on the Italian peninsula, Matera is at the center of an extremely fascinating region, where tradition, science and technology coexist and thrive together, creating an unexpected bridge between its folkloric past and its future.

Tiziano è il pittore simbolo del Rinascimento veneziano, di cui seppe interpretare al meglio le peculiarità: il colore, la sensibilità per la luce e il paesaggio, nonché una lieta partecipazione spirituale e carnale alla bellezza e alla natura. Per le sue grandi abilità, Tiziano fu conteso da imperatori, papi, principi e cardinali, e morì all’apice della fama. A lui è intitolato l’episodio della serie Grandi Maestri di Sky Arte. A ripercorrerne le gesta sono le storiche dell’arte Marcella Culatti e Sara Menato, commentando, tra le varie opere, il San Marco in trono nella Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute a Venezia, il Miracolo del marito geloso e Miracolo del neonato, nella Scuola del Santo a Padova, Amor Sacro e Amor Profano alla Galleria Borghese di Roma, il Ritratto di Francesco Maria della Rovere e Venere d'Urbino presso la Galleria degli Uffizi a Firenze.

Bernardino di Betto, detto il Pinturicchio, è stato un grande protagonista del Rinascimento umbro. Formatosi nel solco dell'arte di Perugino, studiò artisti come Piero della Francesca e il Verrocchio e fu molto affascinato dall'arte antica. Fu soprattutto un grande pittore di affreschi, dotato di fantasia e di uno spiccato gusto decorativo. A raccontarlo durante l’episodio della serie Grandi Maestri in onda su Sky Arte sono Paolo Cova, docente di storia dell’arte, e Cristina Conti, storica dell’arte. I due esperti descrivono i capolavori realizzati da Pinturicchio nel Duomo di Siena e nella Cappella Bufalini della Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara Coeli a Roma.

Valery Gergiev and the acclaimed Mariinsky Orchestra with an emotionally-charged performance of Shostakovich 7th symphony. Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60, nicknamed the Leningrad, was begun in Leningrad, completed in the city of Samara (then known as Kuybyshev) in December 1941, and premiered in that city on March 5, 1942. Shostakovich's longest symphony typically takes approximately 80 minutes to perform. The work has four movements. Shostakovich at first gave them titles: "War", "Reminiscence", "Home Expanses", and "Victory" - but he soon withdrew these and left the movements with their tempo markings alone.

Da più di 700 anni, l'Inferno di Dante rappresenta nel pensiero comune occidentale e non solo l'immagine più fedele dell'Aldilà. Le pagine del Sommo Poeta, composte nel 1300, hanno influenzato profondamente l'arte e la psicanalisi, ridefinendo i concetti di peccato e redenzione. Attraverso la selezione di alcuni degli episodi più conosciuti e cruenti del poema, il documentario evidenzia il punto di contatto tra il racconto dantesco e le opere d'arte di celebri artisti. Alcuni tra i massimi esperti, inoltre, aiuteranno a capire l'importanza che l'idea di inferno dantesco ha avuto nel mondo dell'arte e nella creazione di un nuovo immaginario: un viaggio attraverso la storia dell'arte grazie ad alcune delle pagine più scioccanti della lettura mondiale, scritte dal padre della lingua italiana.

A 2018 Arts Documentary Film directed by David Bickerstaff. A virtuoso craftsman, Michelangelo’s artistry is evident in everything he touched. Beautiful and diverse works such as the towering statue of David, the deeply moving Pietà in the Papal Basilica of St. Peter and his tour-de-force, the Sistine Chapel ceiling still leave us breathless today. Spanning his 89 years, Michelangelo – Love and Death, takes a cinematic journey from the print and drawing rooms of Europe, through the great chapels and museums of Florence, Rome and the Vatican to explore the tempestuous life of Michelangelo. We go in search of a greater understanding of this most charismatic figure, his relationship with his contemporaries and his valuable artistic legacy. Through expert commentary and Michelangelo’s own words, this film takes a fresh look at an enigmatic man whose life is celebrated in every mark and every stroke he made. A giant artistic force and universally loved, discover why Michelangelo is without a doubt one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance – and perhaps of all time.

Raffaello - Il principe delle arti è un film documentario d’arte su Raffaello Sanzio, prodotto nel 2017 da Sky Italia e Magnitudo Film, in collaborazione con i Musei Vaticani. È stato diretto dal regista Luca Viotto, deceduto poco prima della distribuzione del film, all’inizio del quale compare una dedica. Riccardo Onorato è Voce narrante (come Riccardo Niseem Onorato). «Qui giace Raffaello, dal quale la natura temette mentre era vivo di essere vinta; ma ora che è morto teme di morire.» - Pietro Bembo, epitaffio sulla tomba di Raffaello al Pantheon di Roma Il film d’arte ricostruisce il percorso artistico e umano del pittore e architetto rinascimentale Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520). Muore a soli 37 anni eppure riesce a lasciare un segno indelebile nella storia dell’arte. Tra le opere di Raffaello approfondite nel film, un capitolo speciale è dedicato agli Arazzi, la cui ideazione fu commissionata a Raffaello da Papa Leone X alla fine del 1514, oggi custoditi nel Salone di Raffaello nei Musei Vaticani. Raffaello, che non si era mai cimentato prima con gli arazzi, concepisce una serie di cartoni preparatori policromi, che invia come modelli nella più prestigiosa manifattura fiamminga dell’epoca. Un’opera immane realizzata in soli quattro anni, pochi mesi per i cartoni preparatori e tre anni per la tessitura. La notte del 26 dicembre del 1519, alla presenza del Papa, dei cardinali e degli intellettuali di curia, i primi 7 arazzi di Raffaello vengono esposti in Cappella Sistina. Niente meno che un “miracolo”, così Vasari definisce l’esposizione degli arazzi, resi ancora più meravigliosi dall'impressionante impatto visivo e scenografico della loro collocazione, a portata di sguardo e in una Cappella Sistina che in quella fatidica notte va immaginata molto diversa da come appare oggi. A quel tempo il Giudizio Universale non era ancora stato dipinto e al suo posto la parete d’altare era affrescata con opere del Perugino e di Michelangelo, andate distrutte quando Michelangelo affrescò il Giudizio Universale e di cui sono state tramandate solo scarne testimonianze e disegni. Le ricostruzioni storiche del film (9 in totale) introducono i capitoli di digressione artistica che sono suddivisi a livello macro in: l’infanzia ad Urbino e la formazione, il periodo fiorentino, il periodo in Vaticano, il periodo romano, la morte. La scelta per la realizzazione delle ricostruzioni è stata di ispirarsi a dipinti dell’800 francese dedicati ai momenti cruciali della vita di Raffaello. Flavio Parenti interpreta Raffaello Sanzio, Angela Curri interpreta Fornarina, Enrico Lo Verso interpreta Giovanni Santi, Marco Cocci interpreta Pietro Bembo. Le riprese si sono svolte a Urbino, Firenze e Roma.

A 2017 Sky Arte and Magnitudo Film, in collaboration with the Vatican Museums. The film is directed by Luca Viotto, who died shortly before the film was released. Audio in English with Chinese subtitles. The life of Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), starting from his birth in Urbino and from the family sphere, is followed in his Florentine and Roman periods through the presentation and reading of 70 works of art of which more than 40 by the great painter. He died at the age of 37 and yet managed to leave an indelible mark on the history of art. The artistic collaboration is entrusted to the authoritative and passionate commentary of three famous art historians, Antonio Paolucci, Antonio Natali and Vincenzo Farinella - will leave from Urbino, the birthplace of Raphael, will lap Florence and land in Rome and the Vatican, the apex and epilogue of the dazzling career of the artist. 20 locations and 70 works, of which over 30 signed by Raffaello, will be told through multiple exclusives and unpublished points of view. The historical reconstructions were inspired by the 19th century French paintings that testify some fragments of Raphael's life. Among the works of Raphael in the film, a special chapter is dedicated to the Tapestries, whose design was commissioned to Raphael by Pope Leo X at the end of 1514, now kept in the Raphael Hall in the Vatican Museums. The actor and director Flavio Parenti will lend his face to Raffaello Sanzio during the historical reconstructions, while Fornarina, the woman loved by the artist, will be played by Angela Curri. Enrico Lo Verso will play the role of Giovanni Santi and Marco Cocci those of Pietro Bembo. Scenography and costumes are curated by two excellences of Italian cinema, Francesco Frigeri and Maurizio Millenotti. Filming took place in Urbino, Florence and Rome.

A 2016 Arts Documentary directed by Marco Pianigiani. Audio in English narrated by James Cosmo. A rich and stimulating study into the themes, historical context and far-reaching influence of Dante Alighieri's Inferno, the first part of his 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. With the participation of: Franco Cardini (Italian historian and essayist, specialized in Medieval Studies), Kate Bryan ( British art historian, curator and arts broadcaster), Martin Mclaughlin (Professor of Italian and Agnelli-Serena Professor of Italian Studies in the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, University of Oxford), and Simon Njami (Writer and an independent curator, lecturer, art critic and essayist.)

Il Purgatorio si manifesta in tutta la sua imponenza: una montagna rocciosa che svetta al centro dell'emisfero australe, nell'oceano. Usciti dall'Inferno, in questo regno è ammesso lo scorrere del tempo: qui si conoscono l'alba e il tramonto, il giorno e la notte, e la luce è declinata in tutte le sue tonalità. Entrato in questo scenario primordiale lo spettatore varcherà in soggettiva, con gli occhi di Dante, la soglia del Purgatorio: una porta nella roccia, custodita da un angelo armato di spada.

La voce di Francesco Pannofino ci accompagna in un viaggio straordinario attraverso le cantiche dantesche. Un'opera che offre allo spettatore modalità innovative e altamente immersive di fruizione del mondo immaginato all'interno di uno dei capolavori della letteratura e della poesia mondiale, simbolo dell'identità linguistico-culturale del nostro Paese. Il viaggio di un uomo, ma anche il viaggio di tutti gli uomini. Il cammino attraverso le tre cantiche inizia nella selva oscura, percorrendo alcuni dei momenti più significativi del poema dantesco. Varcando la porta degli inferi, il viaggio di Dante si configura come un moto lento e inesorabile verso il centro della terra, nel regno del male, accompagnato dai versi originali dell'opera.

Caravaggio - L'anima e il sangue è un film d'arte del 2018 prodotto da Sky e Magnitudo Film, diretto da Jesus Garces Lambert. Emanuele Marigliano presta il suo corpo e le sue movenze ai moti dell’animo di Caravaggio, mentre la voce dell'io interiore di Merisi è quella del cantante Manuel Agnelli. l film racconta la storia del geniale e controverso pittore italiano Michelangelo Merisi, in arte Caravaggio, avvalendosi della consulenza scientifica di Claudio Strinati e degli interventi di Mina Gregori, Presidente della Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell’Arte, Roberto Longhi e Rossella Vodret, curatrice della mostra “Dentro Caravaggio,” a Palazzo Reale a Milano fino al 28 gennaio 2018. Il film è un vero e proprio excursus emozionale e investigativo che ci guida nella vita di Caravaggio, nelle opere e nei suoi tormenti attraverso i luoghi che ancora oggi custodiscono i suoi capolavori: Milano, Firenze, Roma, Napoli e Malta. In questo excursus la vita tormentata di Caravaggio è ricostruita attraverso una ricerca documentale approfondita che ha inizio all’Archivio Storico Diocesano di Milano (dove oggi è conservato l’atto di battesimo datato 29 settembre 1571), spostandosi poi all’Archivio di Stato di Roma (dove troviamo testimonianze della vita di Caravaggio quale personaggio tenebroso, spavaldo, sanguigno). Il film è un progetto sviluppato dai creatori di “Raffaello – il Principe delle Arti – in 3D” e “Firenze e gli Uffizi in 3D”. Una produzione originale Sky con Magnitudo Film, con il riconoscimento della Direzione Generale Cinema del Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo, con il Patrocinio del Comune di Milano realizzato in collaborazione con Palazzo Reale e Vatican Media (già Centro Televisivo Vaticano) e con il sostegno di Malta. Le riprese si sono svolte a Milano, Firenze, Roma, Napoli e Malta.

From an episode of BBC 2 Open University TV Programme in 1986, presented by Di Norman. San Marco is a religious complex in Florence, Italy. It comprises a church and a convent. The convent, which is now the Museo Nazionale di San Marco, during the 15th century it was home to two famous Dominicans, the painter Fra Angelico and the preacher Girolamo Savonarola. Also housed at the convent is a famous collection of manuscripts in a library built by Michelozzo.

Of William Shakespeare's plays, more than a quarter are related to Italy. In this this episode of the series "Italy: Journey into Beauty" we will delve into the studies that claim that Shakespeare actually travelled to this country, while others claim he only imagined it from afar, and while yet others believe he was of Italian descent. We will take an evocative journey through this Shakespearean Italy, including the Venice of Othello, the Verona of Romeo and Juliet, the Padua of the Taming of the Shrew and the Mantua mentioned in these, and other, works.