Francesco Cilea is best remembered for his operas L’Arlesiana and Adriana Lecouvreur, but his final opera Gloria is a genuine rarity. Set in medieval Siena against the backdrop of conflicts between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, Gloria is a tragic tale of love and revenge that can be seen as a variation on the story of Romeo and Juliet. Filled with beautiful melodies accompanied by rich and refined orchestral sonorities, Gloria reveals itself after years of neglect as a precious masterpiece in this acclaimed production from the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari.

Performing Gloria for the first time in Sardinia, the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari are led in this production by maestro Francesco Cilluffo, a conductor and composer who is most admired by critics among his generation of young Italian musicians, and who is something of a Cilea expert, having already recorded a fine production of L’Arlesiana (Dynamic CDS7688) released in 2015.

Principal conductor of the Wexford Festival Opera, Francesco Cilluffo was born in Turin, where he graduated in conducting and composition from the conservatory, and music history from the university (DAMS). He holds a Master’s degree from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and a PhD from King’s College London. He later collaborated as an assistant with Michael Tilson Thomas, John Eliot Gardiner, Asher Fisch, John Mauceri and Lothar Zagrosek. Performances include L’Arlesiana in Jesi (recorded for Dynamic); the world premieres of Marco Tutino’s operas Le braci in Florence and Martina Franca and Miseria e nobiltà in Genoa; Tosca in Tulsa; Macbeth, Falstaff, Verdi’s Requiem and Manon Lescaut at The Grange Festival with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, among others.

‘Cilluffo is an expert advocate. He’s an old hand in this repertoire, and it shows, with vibrant, responsive sounds from the Sardinian orchestra and chorus… It’s hard, too, to imagine a more persuasive Gloria than Anastasia Bartoli – a commanding, ardent stage presence with a rich Rioja of a voice’ – Gramophone

‘Francesco Cilluffo… leads this attractively staged performance from the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, bringing Gloria to video for the first time… Anastasia Bartoli (Gloria) is a beautiful woman with an even and velvety soprano…’ – American Record Guide

Cast:
- Aquilante de’ Bardi: Ramaz Chikviladze (bass)
- Gloria: Anastasia Bartoli (soprano)
- Bardo: Franco Vassallo (baritone)
- Lionetto de’ Ricci (aka Fortebrando): Carlo Ventre (tenor)
- Il Vescovo: Alessandro Abis (bass)
- La Senese: Elena Schirru (soprano)
- Un Banditore: Alessandro Frabotta (bass)