The Italian Embassy in Panama has staged the contemporary opera “Questionario: theatrical action with arias’, written by maestro Riccardo Riccardi and performed by Panamanian soprano Susan Samudio. The concert was held at the Teatro Nacional, located in the heart of Panama City’s old quarter Casco Antiguo and designed in the early 20th century by Italian architect Gennaro Ruggeri.
“Questionario’ is an Italian-Panamanian co-production, inspired by the Embassy’s support of cultural cooperation between the two countries. The piece intertwines drama and music, reflecting on the pervasiveness of the digital dimension in an imaginary, albeit very near future, through the growing influence of artificial intelligence in our daily lives, resulting in a highly original performance.
The show also celebrates the musical training programmes offered by Italy: some of the young performers, in fact, have received scholarships from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, for periods of advanced training in Italy. In his opening speech, Ambassador Massimo Ambrosetti stressed the Embassy’s commitment to cultural cooperation “as a tool for dialogue”, emphasising its “importance as a priority dimension of individual and collective life, especially in a difficult historical era such as the one marked by the Covid pandemic”.
