OC remembers only a few months ago being under the gorgeous, late winter light of Rome and the creamy Bernini sculptures of Piazza Navona, the pragmatic and ancient Pantheon, the lovably-crusty Jewish Ghetto, and all of Rome's lovers out for a stroll around the Spanish Steps on Valentine's Day when she took in the excellently-robust Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia in the Eternal City. Luccan Maestro (and MD of the San Francisco Opera) Nicola Luisotti was in town to conduct Santa Cecilia in a program bearing witness to Nino Rota's rich legacy. After Beethoven's Fourth, Rota's Piano Concerto in C and Il Gattopardo Suite took the spotlight with Italian piano soloist Giuseppe Albanese cooly banging it all out on the Steinway.
Rai3 was also in the house filming, and tonight, OC (and the world) can fall back into the Rome light. At 1:40 am, Italy time, Rai3 will broadcast the concert. You can watch it on the website in Diretta TV (you can also hear Albanese play it on Youtube from a concert in Ecuador).
Luckily we won't have to wait much longer to catch both stars again -- Maestro Luisotti comes to Milan for his La Scala premiere with a new production of Verdi's Attila on June 20, and we'll find Giuseppe Albanese at Teatro degli Arcimboldi with Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali on June 26 for Liszt's concerto n. 1.
Here's a few of OC's photos from rainy Rome this past February: