Christmas concert Giardino Segreto, Vetralla

Susanna presents Arcadia  Clarinet Ensemble 

Living in a small town in central Italy  has some unexpected  advantages. Where else could you hear world class music  just a few steps away from your home?

 Instead of  standing in line to purchase  expensive tickets to a concert in a big city auditorium  we are able to  celebrate  the holidays by participating  in an old style Salotto Musicale  offered by the Opera Extravaganza  group.

Yesterday evening we were delighted to be  part of  the  end of the year  Salotto Musicale in the Giardino Segreto here in Vetralla for a  concert offered by OperaExtravaganza  to celebrate the holiday season.

Riccardo Bigini   presents the  program

The concert, organized  by Opera Extravaganza’s founder, Finnish soprano  Susanna Ohtonen, was given by  the Arcadia Clarinet Ensemble,  a group of   five bravissimi  Italian musicians presented  by  Riccardo Bigini with  Giampiero Allegro, Daniele Fabbrini, Silvia Cerquaglia  and Giacomo Poggiani. 

These  gifted  musicians enthralled the select  international audience  with their  rich repertoire of clarinet  music by Strauss, Rossini, Mozart, Gounod, Brahms and Shostakovich.

Martti Wallen and wife applaud the clarinet ensemble 

The evening   was full of surprises including  an  unexpected   rendition in the true spirit of  the Musical Salon when bass singer  Martti Wallén of the Stockholm Opera  and Finnish National Opera came out of the audience to  sing a couple of Christmas songs.   
 Wallén  happened  to be  staying in nearby Castel Cellesi, a tiny village populated  by foreigners, many of whom were present at the concert. 

Riccardo Bigini and Giacomo Poggiani of Arcadia Clarinet Ensemble 

The musicians were happy to participate in this  Musical Salon, since  their usual stage performances  lack  the  intimate contact with the public they were able to  enjoy here. 

singing along with Susanna, Morena, Ruud 

getting close to the musicians  at Salotto Musicale