| June 14 was Italcultura
Night at the Opera. |
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| The Baltimore Opera Company
presented Puccini’s Turandot. This production was a visually
splendid close to the company’s 50th anniversary season. It
was also a rare and visually spectacular treat as it featured enhanced
sets and costumes from the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
that were used in the famed Beijing-Forbidden City production two
years ago. |
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| It was the first time
these extraordinary trappings had been seen in North America. From
the sets to the exquisite, hand-made costumes, the visual aspects
were magnificent. Andrea Licata conducted the orchestra, and soprano
Giovanna Casolla alternated performances with Audrey Stottler as
Turandot. (Both Licata and Casolla are friends of the Italian Cultural
Center.) Tenor Frank Poretta’s Nessun dorma was literally a
show-stopper. |
| For a second night of
Italian opera on November 17, Cultural Center volunteers were the
guests of Maestro Andrea Licata and his wife, Concetta. And again
it was a Puccini work -- Tosca -- that lit the stage. |
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| The handsome sets by
Andrew Horn showed a marriage of realistic detail and mammoth scale.
Soprano Giovanna Casolla again led the cast as Floria Tosca with
her voice of experience, fortitude, and style. Other Italian stars
included tenor Maurizio Graziani as Mario Cavaradossi and Franco
Frederici as the Sacristan. |
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Graziani was cited by Washington Post
critic Joe Banno for his “silvery and sweet” tone and
his “impeccable” phrasing. After the performance, the
Italians joined us at Palazzo Italia for a home-cooked meal, a rare
treat for international opera stars on the circuit. |
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| The highlight of 2001
was, undoubtedly, the Grimaldi-Giardina fashion show on Sunday,
September 30 at Palazzo Italia. Hundreds of fashion-conscious Italophiles
joined in the excitement as Silvio Giardina and Antonio Grimaldi’s
haute couture designs were unveiled on our third floor “runway.”
Palazzo Italia itself was transformed by the designers with a forest
of bamboo branches overhead and paths of silver glitter and rose
potpourri beneath our feet. Local Baltimore models wore the ultra-feminine
gowns beautifully; they were accompanied by Hopkins graduate school
students outfitted handsomely in Rossi Uomo suits. Sotto Sopra catered
the event. |
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Perhaps not as spectacular, but just as important to our mission
of promoting and celebrating Italian culture has been our monthly
film series. Students of Italian language at the Community Colleges
of Baltimore County (Essex campus) and Johns Hopkins University
swelled the ranks of those who came to screenings of Italian-dubbed
American movies, including “Shakespeare Innamorato”
(Shakespeare in Love), “Il Gladiatore” (The Gladiator),
“Nemico Pubblico” (Public Enemy), “L’Uomo
della Pioggia” (The Rainmaker), “Il Sesto Senso”
(The Sixth Sense), and “Nel Centro del Mirino” (In the
Line of Fire), and “Notting Hill.” No subtitles!
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The Italian Cultural Center, Inc. has been an active participant
with the Baltimore-Genoa Committee of the Sister Cities Program
of the Office of the Mayor of Baltimore. The Center hosted a range
of Sister City Program meetings during the year. We also continued
to house the offices of Genoa 2000 and the Italy-America Chamber
of Commerce of Washington DC and Baltimore.
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It seems that the kitchen is always open at Palazzo Italia –
as any Italian cucina should be! Whether it’s for an impromptu
lunch for volunteers, an evening supper for hungry students or a
VIP reception, the pasta is always al dente and plentiful. |
