The acclaimed opera Tosca, presented from the Monumental Sferisterio of Macerata, arrives at the cinema halls of the Holea Shopping Center in Huelva. This screening is the first of six titles that make up the óh!pera Summer festival, a cultural initiative that combines opera and leisure through live-recorded performances in impressive open-air venues. Screenings are scheduled in cinemas across Spain on alternate Thursdays during the summer.
The stage direction by Valentina Carrasco transports Puccini's opera to a 1950s film set. Using the Sferisterio's architecture, the staging pays homage to the golden age of Italian cinema, moving away from the traditional Roman setting. Samal Blak's scenography transforms the space into a large film studio, creating an immersive experience where Tosca's story seems to be filmed live.
The cast features experienced Italian singers in the Puccini repertoire: soprano Carmen Giannattasio as Floria Tosca, tenor Antonio Poli as Mario Cavaradossi, baritone Claudio Sgura as Baron Scarpia, and bass-baritone Alessandro Abis as Cesare Angelotti. Musical direction is by Donato Renzetti.
Following 'Tosca', the festival will continue with 'Aida' (July 23, Greco Theatre of Taormina), 'Otello' (August 6, Salzburg Festival), 'Andrea Chénier' (August 20, Bregenz Festival), 'Carmen' (September 3, St. Margarethen), and 'Nabucco' (September 17, Arena di Verona Festival). The aim is to offer a more accessible, intimate, and spectacular way to enjoy opera.
In addition to the opera, the Bar 1900 Hall in Huelva inaugurates the photographic exhibition Efímero (Ephemeral) by Mihaela Ionescu this Thursday. The exhibition, consisting of eight images, explores the beauty of the transient through the observation of a flower from morning until a storm transforms the landscape, reminding us that "nothing is eternal".
Ionescu explains that the exhibition "speaks of those moments that go unnoticed and yet remain with us," capturing the essence of fleeting moments.
