The Italian Cultural Institute and Italian General Consulate in Edinburgh are promoting a concert by mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, accompanied by the Pomo D’Oro, an Italian ensemble that uses antique instruments, as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. According to the New Yorker, “perhaps the most powerful female singer of her generation”, Ms DiDonato was born in Kansas and has strong ties with Italy. Besides being a real vocal superstar, one of the most outstanding in the world of opera, Ms DiDonato is also a recital theatre singer. The Times said that her voice “is nothing less than 24 carat gold”. The programme for the concert, planned for 23 August, includes opera arias from the 17th and 18th century. Monteverdi’s expressive emotional theatre, and the great passions of Händel and Gluck, are intertwined with much less known miniature masterpieces by Cesti, Hasse, Dowland and Rossi, in this trip exploring the sumptuous Baroque marvels. The Italian ensemble that uses antique instruments, Pomo D’Oro, will appear with Joyce DiDonato, directed by Baroque violinist of Bulgarian origin, Zefira Valova, known around the world for her dynamic, energetic performing style.
