a series of screenings dedicated to Italian Opera
Introduction by Deirdre O’ Grady, Emeritus Professor of Italian at University College DublinScreening of Attila, Giuseppe Verdi. Conductor Andrea Battistoni with Giovanni
Battista Parodi, Sebastian Catana, Susanna Branchini, Roberto De Biasio,
Cristiano Cremonini, 118’Odabella: ‘Ma noi donne italiche/Cinte di ferro il seno….sempre vedrai pugnar’But we, Italian women, you shall always see fight, wearing battle dress.’Based
on a romantic tragedy by Zacharias Werner, Attila is set in the 5th
century AD. The opera takes as its starting point Attila’s plans to
storme Rome with his army of Huns and the Romans’ attempt to prevent
him.“Attila is marked by a steady and rousing energy. Nearly all
of the characters present a challenging mix of contradictions. Odabella
is bloodthirsty, yet feminine and vulnerable; Attila is a mix of
cruelty and generosity; Ezio, the Roman general, is both treacherous and
deeply patriotic”. (Ann Feeney, allmusic.com)