Catalani’s opera Loreley

The distinctive path of Puccini's contemporary, Catalani

The Lorelei is the 132-meter-high mountain at a sharp bend in the Rhine that is difficult for boaters to navigate. The poets Brentano and Heine both created the myth of the seductively singing woman on the rock, who would distract the boaters, resulting in shipwreck.

The romantic Italian composer Alfredo Catalani, best known for his somewhat later opera La Wally , was a fellow townsman and contemporary of Puccini. Unlike the latter, who incorporated elements of realism and verism into his oeuvre, Catalani remained true to the romantic musical language. Sources of inspiration were also German composers such as Von Weber and Wagner.

Famous for grand arias

Catalani's subjects, such as Loreley, are much more mythical and fairy-tale-like than the works of his contemporaries, and in many cases more symphonic. Although this opera is not often performed or recorded in its entirety, great Italian voices such as Magda Olivero, Beniamino Gigli, Mario del Monaco sang beloved arias from Loreley . But it was above all the ambassadorship of conductor Arturo Toscanini that made Catalani's operas known and loved in Europe and the United States.

Please note: Unfortunately Ewa Płonka has had to cancel for this concert. She will be replaced by María José Siri. Ticket buyers will be informed as soon as possible.