The Plot: Catone in Utica is the story of the power struggle between two giants of the Roman world, the dictator Julius Caesar (Cesare) and Cato the Younger (Catone), the upholder of traditional republican ideals. The sets and the costumes (the latter by Elisa Cobello) have classical and contemporary aspects, framing a universal drama of private emotions intertwined with political intrigue. The collision and the competition between Cato and Caesar takes place on a playing field, where Cato’s weakness emerges. To elegant designs by Matteo Paoletti Franzato, part of the action is set in a villa, perhaps the private retreat of Emilia, Pompey’s widow, a central figure in the unfolding of events. The production, broadcast live by Slippedisc, courtesy of OperaVision, is conducted by Federico Maria Sardelli – who is also an essayist, composer, painter and satirist – and directed by Marco Bellussi. After the successful staging of Vivaldi’s Farnace in December 2021, Teatro Comunale di Ferrara ‘Claudio Abbado’ offers a a chance to discover live a rarely-performed production by the ‘red priest’, as Vivaldi was known.
Although only Acts II and III survive, this work is considered to be one of the greatest operatic compositions of the Venetian composer.
All that is missing is the opening act.Ĭatone in Utica was staged for the first time in 1737 in Verona and is one of the last operas by Antonio Vivaldi. Tonight’s free opera on Slipped Disc, courtesy of Operavision, comes from Ferrara in Italy.
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