Adriano in Siria opera comes to Krakow’s ICE Center

The cycle Opera Rara returns to Krakow with the Polish premiere of Pergolesi’s Adriano in Siria. Italian countertenor Franco Fagioli and alto Romina Basso will perform with the Krakow orchestra on the multipurpose stage of the ICE Krakow Congress Centre. Pergolesi’s three-act opera seria got an enthusiastic reception at the Royal Opera in Versailles a few months ago.

Music critic Christopher Silvester wrote on the Guardian website: “It was Pergolesi’s bad fortune to die of consumption at the age of 26. Numerous musical works, both good and bad, were subsequently misattributed to him. This, combined with the submersion of his opere serie, has obscured his true worth as a composer beyond the Stabat Mater”. Adriano in Siria was composed in 1734 during Pergolesi’s glorious stay in Naples on a libretto by Metastasio to celebrate Queen Elisabeth Farnese’s birthday.

The Polish premiere of Pergolesi’s quasi-forgotten work is scheduled for Thursday, March 3 at 7:00 pm.