Michele Mariotti

Michele Mariotti conducts the Orchestra of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in Alexander Nevskij Op. 78 by Sergej Prokof’ev - with the screening of the film by Sergej Ėjzenštejn and sung for mezzo-soprano, choir and orchestra from the film's music - and in Symphony n. 4 in F minor op. 36 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Alexander Nevskij is the score composed by Prokofiev in 1938 for the film of the same name by the Russian director Sergej Ejzenštejn: considered among the masterpieces of music of the Soviet period, it has remained one of the most famous cantatas of the 20th century. The story of Alexander Nevskij takes place in medieval Russia of the 13th century when, after the fall of Kiev, the Mongols attack and conquer many cities, while on the Western Front the threat of German expansion is pressing. When the Teutons set their sights on Novgorod, the threatened cities turned to Prince Ajeksandr, known as Nevskij. The latter, gathering a very mixed army of knights and peasants, guides it towards the western frontiers, saving Novgorod from sacking. Ėjzenštejn took as the subject of the film the Battle of the Frozen Lake, during which Alexander defeated the Teutonic army in 1242 at Lake Ciudi, pushing the enemies onto the ice of the lake which, yielding under the weight of the heavy armour, swallowed them in the icy waters. In the opera Prokofiev used different sections of the orchestra and different compositional styles to evoke some emblematic images in the listeners. For example, the Teutonic Knights - seen as enemies - are entrusted to the heavy brass, who play dissonant notes with a martial rhythm; while the Russian army - which represents good - is evoked with material inspired by Russian folklore and with long melodic passages.

Symphony no. 4 in F minor op. 36, composed by Tchaikovsky between 1877 and 1878, is divided into four movements: Andante sustenuto, Andantino, Scherzo, Finale and constitutes the first work of the so-called Trilogy of Destiny, also made up of the Fifth and Sixth Symphony, and stands out for the dramatic force of its themes; at the centre of the Symphony is, in fact, Fate, seen by Tchaikovsky as a nefarious force in man's life.

Michele Mariotti graduated in composition at the Rossini Conservatory in his city, Pesaro, where he also studied orchestral conducting under the guidance of Manlio Benzi. He graduated in orchestral conducting at the Accademia Musicale Pescarese with Donato Renzetti and has been Musical Director of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma since 2022. Awarded the 36th Abbiati Prize as Best Orchestral Conductor, he is a guest of the main theaters and Italian and international festivals.

Photo credits: courtesy of Yasuko Kageyama - the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma official site