12-24 Oct 2004. Conducted by Evelino Pid, directed by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, with Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Donata DAnnunzio Lombardi and Lucio Gallo.

This year the Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia inaugurates its season with the opera Idomeneo, re di Creta by Mozart in concert form (16-19 Oct) instead of the usual symphonic concert. The opera has become popular recently; it inaugurated the restored Teatro delle Muse in Ancona, and last May it was performed at the S. Carlo theatre in Naples and at the Comunale in Florence. Idomeneo is essentially a serious 18th century opera, based on an alternation of arias and recitatives without any real action. However, the richness and audacity of the stylistic and technical innovations of the music compensate for the lack of action. The cast is made up of successful Mozart singers: Giuseppe Filianoti (Idomeneo), Magdalena Kozena (Idamante), Eva Mei (Ilia), Carmela Remigio (Elettra) and Vittorio Grigolo (Arbace). Myung Whun Chung conducts.

Still in the theme of 18th century music, Silla by Handel will be performed at S. Cecilia (22 Oct). This is its first recent Italian performance. It is one of the first operas that Handel wrote in London and has been performed only once in a public theatre. The operas best roles were included in the composers subsequent opera, Amadigi, which was performed in Rome last January. Sonia Prina and Elisabetta Scano, both of whom sang in Amadigi, are in the cast and Fabio Biondi conducts the orchestral group Europa Galante, which specialists in baroque music. For more information see www.santacecilia.it.

Puccinis La Bohme is being performed at the Teatro Regio in Turin 12-24 Oct. Evelino Pid conducts and the director is Giuseppe Patroni Griffi. Among the various singers is the celebrated couple Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna. They will perform only twice (12 and 15 Oct), but this is a great event as their appearances in Italy are few and far between. For more information see www.teatroregio.torino.it.

Paolo Di Nicola