LIVE RECORDING FROM THE TEATRO VALERIA MORICONI, JESI 2010 Polidoro JUAN FRANCISCO GATELL Flaminio LAURA POLVERELLI Giustina MARINA DE LISO Agata SONIA YONCHEVA Ferdinando SERENA MALFI ACCADEMIA BIZANTINA Conducted by OTTAVIO DANTONE Stage Directed by MICHAL ZNANIECKI World Premiere Recording! The 2010 Jesi production is conscious of the complexity of Flaminio for all its seeming simplicity and cleverly exploits the suggestive milieu of the Teatro Valeria Moriconi, in particular its shape and relatively small scale. Without any attempt at realism, (the main action takes place "in a villa on the outskirts of the city of Naples, complete with hunting lodge, etc.", but just a handful of props to symbolise the bucolic atmosphere), the production concentrates on establishing a kind of meta-theatrical relationship to this repertoire work which sets out to highlight the interweaving and over layering of truth and fiction, passion and irony, tragedy and comedy. The orchestra sits behind a broad wooden platform and suspended netting decorated with leaves; every so often scenes about the characters' private lives open up on various levels (these serve to expand the audience perspective both horizontally and vertically), as if the plot were following the inner development of these living characters. The theatrical narrative unravels through a brilliant succession of dramatic and light-hearted moments to its predictable happy ending. The result takes us a step closer towards finally rediscovering such masterpieces of the Neapolitan school of the 18th century: in addition to being highly serious, ingenious and fabulous entertainment in its own right, Il Flaminio is substantive proof of the key role Naples played in developing the genre for European audiences.