Rossini’s rarely performed Elisabetta regina d’Inghilterra was his first opera for the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. With the composer showcasing and indeed recycling some of his best music, it was an enormous success and allowed him to become established as the leading opera composer in Italy. The story revolves around Queen Elizabeth I (Elisabetta), whose romantic attachments expose her to murderous intrigues, and ends with her renouncement of love itself. This fast-moving production under the baton of Antonino Fogliani was described as ‘a colourful, sparkling festival of music’ in Die Deutsche Bühne.

The annual Rossini in Wildbad Festival has become a pillar of our operatic output, with successes such as Rossini’s Mose in Egitto (866022021) characterising the typically ‘exciting and energetic performance’ (Fanfare) that collectors have come to expect from this source. Amongst the out-of-the ordinary versions of neglected masterpieces, Rossini’s Matilde di Shabran (866049294) was released in December 2020. This was also received with great critical acclaim and summed up as ‘well worth anyone’s money’ in MusicWeb International.

Principal Guest Conductor of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein and Music Director of the Festival Rossini in Wildbad, Antonio Fogliani quickly established himself on the international scene as one of the most appreciated musicians of his generation. His numerous acclaimed Rossini recordings on the Naxos label include Maometto II (866044446, also with tenor Mert Süngü) was admired by Gramophone, describing it as ‘a magnificent opera... with some of the most sumptuous yet theatrically pertinent vocal writing Rossini provided for the lyric stage’.

Antonino Fogliani’s debut at the Pesaro Rossini Opera Festival in 2001 was followed by engagements in major opera houses including Teatro La Fenice, Teatro dell’Opera, Teatro di San Carlo, the Opéra Comique and Teatro alla Scala. International engagements have taken him to Monte Carlo, Moscow, Houston and Barcelona, among others. He has conducted countless performances for Deutsche Oper am Rhein and at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, including Macbeth and Il trovatore for the Opernfestspiele. Most recently he led a production of Turandot at the Grand Théâtre in Geneva. He was appointed music director at Rossini in Wildbad in 2011.

This 2021 Kraków and Rossini in Wildbad production was received warmly by the critics: ‘Once again we heard a passionate rendition of Rossini’s score by the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra, this time under the baton of Antonino Fogliani. As always, his conductor does not excel in details, but he manages to deliver a compelling, dynamic performance, and this enthusiasm clearly reflects on singers, musicians and audiences’ (Opera Gazet).

Cast:
- Elisabetta: Serena Farnocchia (soprano)
- Leicester: Patrick Kabongo (tenor)
- Norfolc: Mert Süngü (tenor)
- Matilde: Veronica Marini (soprano)
- Enrico: Mara Gaudenzi (mezzo-soprano)
- Guglielmo: Luis Aguilar (tenor)