Full of Irony

Almost all of us are familiar with Charles Perrault's fairy tale La belle au bois dormant which has been the source of inspiration of plays, movies and especially ballet. A new production of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece will soon be at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Few specialists, however, are familiar with Ottorino Respighi's opera that travelled around the world in the nineteen twenties. The 1922 version was conceived for a well known marionette company I Piccoli di Podrecca and was initially staged at Teatro Odescalchi in Rome — a theatre not large but perfect for contemporary music — it was Alfredo Casella's preferred theatre...