Libiamo: A Salon for Opera Lovers to Celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Italy’s Unification

October 16, 2011

This intimate salon explores Italian “melodrama,” perhaps best known today through the composer Giuseppe Verdi. Melodrama was a mirror of the cultural, historical, and social context of Italy’s Risorgimento, the period surrounding the unification in 1851.

Linguistic and political division had for centuries characterized Italy, and the theater served as a unifying activity—a hub of social and public life, and of cultural unity. This genre of opera contributed decisively to the Italian unification process.

The salon includes a talk by Ignazio Terrasi, Music Assistant Conductor at LA Opera, introducing the history of elodrama and the social and political context of opera, as well as a live vocal performance by Valentina Fleer (Soprano), Alexey Sayapin (Tenor), and Nino Sanikidze (Piano).
Obikà Mozzarella Bar, Grom Gelato and di Saronno, contributed to the success of this evening with their products and their kind collaboration.