大象传媒

The second act of Rossini's opera Aureliano in Palmira from this year's Pesaro Festival.

A real Rossini rarity, an opera seria that flopped but which Rossini then re-cycled into his comedy "The Barber of Seville" (which also flopped, but which posterity has been kinder to). There's no doubting the quality of the music, so it must all have been in the performance, because the plot is the usual confusion.

Reviews of this production singled out for praise tenor Michael Spyres (Aureliano) and soprano Jessica Pratt (Zenobia). The ensemble is led by the American bel canto specialist, Will Crutchfield.

And the 大象传媒 Philharmonic conclude this week's part of the Sibelius Symphony Cycle with No.3 in C . Numbers 4 to 7 next week.

With Penny Gore

2pm
Rossini: Aureliano in Palmira - opera seria in 2 Acts

From the 2014 Pesaro Festival

Act 2
Palmyra has fallen to the Romans - led by Aureliano (Marcus Aurelius), and he generously offers the defeated queen Zenobia the choice to rule alongside him. Zenobia's lover Arsace, the general of the Palmyran army has escaped, but returns to the city to rescue his queen and lover. The pair are caught and brought before Aureliano who at first sentences them to spend the rest of their lives in separate prison cells, before relenting and - after they swear loyalty to Rome - letting the pair rule in Palmyra after all.

Aureliano ..... Michael Spyres (tenor)
Zenobia ..... Jessica Pratt (soprano)
Arsace ..... Lena Belkina (mezzo-soprano)
Publia ..... Raffaella Lupinacci (mezzo-soprano)
Oraspe ..... Dempsey C'Rivera (tenor)
High Priest ..... Dimitri Pkhaladze (bass)
Priest ..... Raffaele Constantini (bass)
Licinio ..... Sergio Vitale (baritone)

Chorus of the Teatro Comunale, Bologna
Gioachino Rossini Symphony Orchestra/
Will Crutchfield (conductor)

3.35pm
笔颈别谤苍茅
Scherzo-caprice for piano and orchestra, Op.25
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano)
大象传媒 Philharmonic
Juanjo Mena (conductor)

Nielsen
Saga-drom, Op.39
大象传媒 Philharmonic
Michael Seal (conductor)

4pm
Sibelius
Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op.52
大象传媒 Philharmonic
John Storgards (conductor).