concert

This concert, performed as a voice and piano duo, offers a fascinating journey through the rich Italian vocal tradition, from the origins of the Italian Bel Canto – UNESCO intangible cultural heritage – to the height of the nineteenth century and beyond. From the refined inventions of Vivaldi, through the theatrical passions of Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, and Puccini, to the lyrical elegance of Tosti the selection presents arias and songs that have shaped music history. A path that celebrates Italian singing in its many expressions—graceful, virtuosic, and dramatically intense.
 
Bio of the artists
 
Soprano Cristiana Arcari studied music in Rome and earned a Master’s degree in Music History from Sapienza University. She trained under Rudolf Knoll at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and graduated with honors in Renaissance and Baroque Singing from the Licinio Refice State Conservatory. She also studied with renowned artists such as Emma Kirkby, Luisa Castellani, Paola Leolini, and Furio Zanasi. A soprano lirico leggero with a flexible and expressive voice, Arcari is known for her musicality and strong stage presence, honed through extensive experience in music theatre and films. Her repertoire spans from Baroque to Contemporary. As a soloist, she has performed under conductors like Michele Mariotti, Gianandrea Noseda, Fabio Biondi, Giuseppe Grazioli, appearing at prestigious venues such as the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro Regio di Torino, La Fenice in Venice, Teatro Verdi in Pisa, and Monte Carlo Opera. She has collaborated with ensembles including the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Europa Galante, Concerto Romano, Tacitevoci, Cappella della Pietà de’ Turchini. In 2012, she was selected by M° Claudio Abbado to join The Nono Project with the Orchestra Mozart in Bologna. Her festival appearances include the Händel Festspiele in Halle, Baroktage Stift Melk, Sagra Malatestiana in Rimini, Biennale of Contemporary Music in Zagreb, Settimane Musicali of the Chigiana Academy in Siena, Festival Alessandro Stradella, Printemps des Arts de Montecarlo, Oratorio del Gonfalone in Rome, Academia Montis Regalis, The Radio Classica Concerts in Madrid, The Nuova Consonanza Festival, Misteria Pascalia in Krakow, The Quirinale Concerts of Radio 3 Rai. She has made world premiere recordings for Glossa, Hyperion, Naxos, and Dynamic, interpreting works by Cavalli, Strozzi, Cesti, Stradella, Händel, and Vivaldi, while collaborating with renowned composers and directors such as Nicola Piovani, Vincenzo Cerami, Ennio Morricone, Marco Tutino, Carlos Saura, Davide Livermore, Mario Martone. She is currently a permanent professor of Renaissance and Baroque Singing at the Arcangelo Corelli Conservatory in Messina and teaches Vocal Literature at the G.B. Martini Conservatory in Bologna.
 
Italian pianist Andrea Vigna-Taglianti, graduated with top honors in piano performance and further refined under Bruno Canino and Leslie Howard, has performed extensively as soloist and chamber musician across Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and beyond, with appearances in prestigious venues from Boston and New York to London, Jerusalem, Düsseldorf and Abu Dhabi. Active also as juror, artistic director, and researcher, he has recorded for Tactus Records and Sheva Collection. He has served as piano professor and Academic Director at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Jerusalem, and as piano professor in Abu Dhabi. He currently teaches piano at the G.F. Ghedini National Conservatory of Music in Cuneo and the Scuola di Alto Perfezionamento Musicale di Saluzzo. His project dedicated to the rediscovery of Italian composer Giuseppe Unia, pianist and composer at the Royal Italian Palace during the second half of the 19th century has attracted national and international critical acclaim and media attention.