Opera for Piano Four Hands: Homage to the Great Italian Opera Composers

Join us for a special evening dedicated to the extraordinary world of Italian opera, featuring a piano four-hands performance by Elena Buttiero and Anita Frumento.

The program celebrates some of the greatest composers of Italian opera, including Verdi, Rossini, Mascagni, Giordano, and Cilea, through elegant piano transcriptions and original compositions for piano four hands.

In the nineteenth century it was common to transcribe operas for small chamber ensembles. These arrangements allowed audiences to experience operatic music outside the theater and became an important way to share and promote new works. Many of these transcriptions evolved into sophisticated musical “fantasies” and paraphrases, transforming beloved operatic themes into remarkable piano compositions.

The evening will also include a tribute to Mozart, with one of his works performed in Italian.

This event also serves as a fundraiser for the Maria G. Wilmeth Scholarship Awards, supporting students and the promotion of Italian language and culture.

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Host or Publisher The Italian Cultural Society of Washington D.C.