IL BELCANTO is a new format by TV channel CLASSICA HD (airing on Sky, channel 136), in collaboration with Museo Teatrale alla Scala. Focusing on the Italian bel canto and its stars, the whole show was shot inside the museum’s luxurious halls and will be broadcast from Monday, December 16, 2019.
Pianist, musicologist and bel canto expert Simone Di Crescenzo will take viewers on a fascinating journey to the discovery of one of the goldest eras in the history of Italian opera, together with special guest Mariella Devia, a sublime interpreter of the vast Italian repertoire, considered as one of the greatest opera singers of the last thirty years.
The show is a mini-series that features 4 episodes, each exploring bel canto themes, authors and works with piano versions and archive footage. The first episode draws an overview of the aesthetic and musical background that saw the Baroque turning into what is now commonly known as the Italian bel canto, with historical and social references to the period when the musical genre bloomed. It thus prepares the ground for the three following episodes, respectively focusing on Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti.
The show was shot at the Museo Teatrale alla Scala, whose halls are rich in ancient, precious antiques that contribute to recreate the refined, distinguished world where bel canto was born and shaped.
Simone Di Crescenzo, the creator and host of the show, examines some of the most significant aspects of the history and interpretation of operas between the late 18th century and the first years of the 19th, and connects them to the contemporary world in interviews with Mariella Devia: a captivating dialogue where the great singer retraces some of the most crucial moments of her long, glorious career on the greatest international stages.
An itinerary between the past and the present, where historical voices from Teatro alla Scala mix with interpreters of the contemporary musical scene, to discover the Italian composers behind immortal masterpieces.
Classica HD is an Italian TV broadcaster exclusively dedicated to classical music, aired on channel 136 of SKY Italia. Classica HD broadcasts shows 24/7, with a program schedule featuring operas, concerts, hall music, ballet and modern dance, research programs, documentaries, movies, special shows, jazz, crossover music and much more.
Alongside his international concert career, pianist and musicologist Simone Di Crescenzo studies and spreads the knowledge of the Italian musical heritage with lectures, seminars, publications and radio programs in Italy and abroad. Making his TV debut with Classica HD, he also has institutional roles as the artistic advisor of Italian foundations, organizations and festivals.
Mariella Devia, one of the most famous lyrical singers of the last years, has dedicated her whole artistic life to the Italian bel canto repertoire. Her interpretations have contributed to rediscover rare works and to make Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti’s operas known all over the contemporary world. Mastering a lucid, rigorous technique, she is an example of musicality and meticulous interpretation, for which she is recognized as an undisputable star of the bel canto Renaissance.
