Alessandro Quarta, Director

Friday, June 13, 2025 at 10:30pm
Emmanuel Church, Boston, MA

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Arnalta’s Café: An Operatic Nanny Romp through 17^th-Century Italy

Director Alessandro Quarta and Concerto Romano are dedicated to bringing their uniquely Roman perspective to timeless music of the Italian Baroque. They return to BEMF with an uproarious  showcase of the many nurses and nannies featured in 17^th-century operas—all very intent on having their say. Arnalta from Monteverdi’s Poppea is the master of ceremonies for a parade of irresistible comic characters (performed en travesti, as is traditional, by tenor Luca Cervoni). Beloved composers such as Monteverdi and Cavalli are juxtaposed with lesser-known masters for operatic scenes bursting with irreverent wit, fiendish mockery, surprising tenderness, and some sage advice as only the nurse can offer!