Gioachino Rossini - Adina (Luciano Acocello)

Information

Composer: Gioachino Rossini

• Adina

Emmanuel Franco; Sara Blanch

César Arrieta; Aaron Godfrey-Mayes

Shi Zong; Gianluca Ascheri

Kraków Philharmonic Chorus & Orchestra

Luciano Acocella, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Naxos

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Rossini’s Adina is a one-act farsa sentimentale (or semiseria) set in a Baghdad seraglio, where the Caliph seeks to marry Adina, who is also loved by Selimo. While following a conventional plot, Rossini infused the opera with unexpected psychological depth, vibrant coloratura arias, and bold male choruses. A crucial Terzetto was omitted for unknown reasons, complicating complete performances. This recording addresses the gap by incorporating the Terzetto from Giovanni Pacini’s La schiava in Bagdad, a solution proposed in 1861, which improves the opera’s pacing and allows it to be realized more effectively on stage.

Luciano Acocella studied composition, piano, and conducting at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen, further honing his skills at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and through the Kondrashin conducting masterclass in Hilversum. He also pursued classical literature and musicology at La Sapienza University in Rome. In 1996, he won the International Prokofiev and Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting competitions, leading to his appointment as assistant to Daniele Gatti. Acocella has conducted widely across Europe, Asia, and the United States, and served as General Music Director of the Opéra de Rouen-Haute Normandie from 2011 to 2015.