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La fiamma

Ottorino Respighi [1879 – 1936]

18
Friday
October
19:30 - 22:40
D prices: € 144.00 / 112.00 / 82.00 / 50.00 / 30.00
Information about the work

Opera in three acts to a libretto by Claudio Guastalla,
based on Hans Wiers-Jenssen's theatre play "Anne Pedersdotter, the Witch".
World premiere on 23 January 1934 at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome
Premiere at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on 29 September 2024

approx. 3 hours 10 minutes / 2 intervals

In Italian with German and English surtitles

Pre-performance lecture (in German): 45 minutes prior to each performance

recommended from 16 years
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Our thanks to our partners

The premiere of LA FIAMMA on 29 September 2024 will be broadcast live on rbb's "radio3". At a later date, the ARD radio stations will broadcast this recording with a time delay. The performances on 2 and 7 October will be recorded audiovisually for Blu-ray by EuroArts in collaboration with rbb. Subscribers to mezzo.tv, available from some cable TV providers, can experience the performance on 7 October as a livestream. Kindly supported by Förderkreis der Deutschen Oper Berlin e. V. LA FIAMMA is presented by taz.

18
Friday
October
19:30 - 22:40
D prices: € 144.00 / 112.00 / 82.00 / 50.00 / 30.00
Cast
the content

About the work
Imposing choruses and colossal tableaux accompany a story about intrigues, power play and an affair between stepmother and son in Ottorino Respighi’s last grand opera. Surrounded by political struggles, the figures become entangled in personal conflicts inextricably leading towards catastrophe and the cruel ending of a burning at the stake. For LA FIAMMA, Respighi created music going far beyond his illustrative-seeming “Trilogia romana” for which he is known in concert halls today. Yet in essence, the composer remained true to his colourful tonal language – the result is a musical amalgamation of French impressionism, influences of Russian music and a classicistic reimagining of Italian renaissance music. The archaic story and expansive dimensions of the operatic epos are reminiscent of the genre of the historical epic film, which was gaining popularity at the same time the opera was composed. This meant LA FIAMMA hit the nerve of the time, ensuring international success soon after its premiere. Over the course of decades, the work was slowly forgotten, yet the renowned critic and musicologist Paolo Isotta still praised LA FIAMMA in 2015 as a unique symbiosis of historicism and modernism, claiming its place among the 20th century’s masterworks of musical drama.

About the production
Director Christof Loy continues his series of opulent operas from the first third of the 20th century at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. While Zandonai’s FRANCESCA DA RIMINI had its world premiere only a few months before the outbreak of World War I, the genesis of Schreker’s DER SCHATZGRÄBER and Korngold’s DAS WUNDER DER HELIANE took us to the “Golden Twenties”. When LA FIAMMA was first performed in Rome in 1934, Europe had long been staring fascism in the face. The opera’s story, the brutal show trial fuelled by hysterics of the masses, is an unvarnished reflection upon the very same ugly grimace of social upheaval.

Our articles on the subject

The Sum of his Creativity
Conductor Carlo Rizzi on a Masterwork of Verismo still Awaiting its Discovery
Transfiguration of an icon
“La Fiamma” engulfs three women in a brutal conflict full of denunciation, treason and plot
La fiamma – Synopsis

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03
DEC

Adventskalender in der Tischlerei: Das 3. Fensterchen

Today in the Tischlerei: ‘Christmas Carols’
with Thomas Cilluffo (tenor) and Chris Reynolds (piano)
5:00 p.m. / Tischlerei
Duration: approx. 25 minutes / Free admission


In the 1940s, a new era of Christmas songs began in the United States: hits like ‘White Christmas’, ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ and ‘Let it snow!’ succeeded in translating the contemplative Advent mood into a popular style that suited the modern lifestyle. Today, they have established themselves as classics that are an integral part of the Christmas season. The tenor Thomas Cilluffo presents some of these world-famous melodies, along with classic Christmas songs from different countries and eras. Our solo repetiteur Chris Reynolds accompanies him on the grand piano.

During the 2022/23 season, Cilluffo made his European debut at both the Teatro Regio Torino and the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he initially enriched the ensemble as a scholarship holder of the Opera Foundation New York. He has been a member of the ensemble here at the house since the 2024/25 season and has appeared in roles such as The Mouth that Speaks Great Words / ANTICRUST, Count Elemer / ARABELLA, Fatty / THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY , Pong / TURANDOT, Malcolm / MACBETH, Arturo / LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, Monostatos / DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE or as a guest in the big New Year's Concert of the BigBand ‘Swingin’25’.
In recent years, Thomas Cilluffo has been highly successful in prestigious competitions, winning first place in the Premiere Opera Foundation International Singing Competition in 2022, among others. He was a finalist in the George London Foundation Competition in 2022, the Gerda Lissner Opera Competition in 2022 and the Gerda Lissner Song Competition in 2021. His roles also include Belfiore / LA FINTA GIARDINIERA , Almaviva / IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, Spoletta / TOSCA, the Witch / HÄNSEL UND GRETEL, Adolfo Pirelli / SWEENEY TODD, Don Ottavio / DON GIOVANNI, Puck / A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and the title role in ROMÉO ET JULIETTE at opera houses such as Portland Opera, Pittsburgh Festival Opera and Opera Colorado. Thomas Cilluffo received his BM/MM from the University of Michigan, where he studied with tenor George Shirley.