Intesa Sanpaolo and the Teatro Regio Turin present to the public the multimedia editions of the 'Vox Imago' series dedicated for the first time to two prestigious productions of the Teatro Regio, Giacomo Puccini's Manon Lescaut and Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville. Intesa Sanpaolo's Vox Imago publishing project aims to disseminate and disseminate the masterpieces of melodrama to the general public - especially young people. It was born in 2004 and today has 14 publications that cross the history of opera, created in collaboration with Mondadori Electa and Musicom.it.
After the Scala productions, the project arrives in Turin, with two significant works: Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Puccini, staged in March 2017 and directed by Gianandrea Noseda (voices: María José Siri and Gregory Kunde), and The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini , staged in the 2014-2015 season and directed by Giampaolo Bisanti (voices: Antonino Siragusa, Chiara Amarù, Roberto De Candia and Nicola Ulivieri).
As with previous publications, the educational contents are important, with a project dedicated to teachers of music and literary subjects in lower and upper secondary schools. There are already over 4200 teachers from 800 schools throughout Italy interested in interdisciplinary courses which, starting from multimedia proposals, convey to students the complexity, beauty and topicality of opera. The training project, born in 2013, has obtained recognition from the Ministry of Education, University and Research. The cycle of educational seminars dedicated to Manon Lescaut is currently underway in eight Italian cities: Turin, Vicenza, Milan, Naples, Florence, Latina, Pesaro and Palermo.
Every year there are 2800 libraries throughout Italy - 800 of which are school libraries - which receive over 37 volumes. Overall, over 200 volumes were donated. They are also available upon request by writing to editoriamusica@intesasanpaolo.com.
“Intesa Sanpaolo's bond with Turin is strengthened today with a further element aimed at spreading the quality of Turin's opera production around the world and among new audiences, especially young people. The dissemination and training imprint and the impeccable quality are the figures of Intesa Sanpaolo's cultural activities, common features with the Teatro Regio in Turin, with which the Bank maintains a solid and lively collaboration. The volumes presented today, extending the life of the work represented, constitute important documents intended for a wide audience to bring them ever closer to opera, one of the most characteristic artistic expressions of our country", commented Gian Maria Gros-Pietro, President of Intesa Sanpaolo.
Since 2011 the Bank has been a founding member of the Teatro Regio in Turin and since 2012 it has supported the inaugural production of the Opera and Ballet Season. With the Vox Imago editions dedicated to Turin productions, Intesa Sanpaolo therefore confirms its support for one of the most accredited opera institutions in the world.
“This new initiative consolidates the strong ties that unite Intesa Sanpaolo and the Teatro Regio of Turin. Being included in the Intesa Sanpaolo series of Vox Imago multimedia editions is a source of great pride and is tangible recognition of the cultural and artistic relevance that the Regio occupies today at a national and international level. These editions, so well cared for both in form and content, are above all a valid tool for experimenting with new operating methods capable of involving a large audience, guiding them to the understanding and appreciation of opera. An aspect that has always been of primary importance at the Regio”, commented Walter Vergnano, Superintendent of the Teatro Regio in Turin.
For each work, the editorial proposal is declined in different supports: a volume, accompanied by illustrations, with musical, artistic and historical-literary essays; a DVD with plot and booklet, reproduction of original documents and a didactic guide, edited by the musical pedagogue Carlo Delfrati; in addition to the documentary that tells the genesis and characteristics of the work. A further digital part includes the complete audio in mp3 and access to the site www.voximago.it, to consult the documentation in electronic format. The two projects are also published in English to promote the diffusion of the Italian operatic tradition abroad as well.
The Vox Imago editions have obtained various national and international awards over the years. Since the first edition in 2004, Vox Imago has received the Dvda Excellence Award 2005 in New York from the Dvd Association, which brings together the most important digital media developers. He was also among the finalists of the CULTURA + IMPRESA 2014 Award by Federculture. At Roma Cinema Doc 2014, the series received a special mention for the short film "This is your life", inspired by Verdi's Nabucco and directed by Andrea Franceschini, which in February 2016 won the Classical Arts Film Festival in Napa (California) and at May 2016 was among the finalists of the Near Nazareth Film Festival in Afula (Israel). In October 2016, the Vox Imago project was included in the program of the Third International Music Week, promoted by Beijing Normal University.
