relief all around, the sun appears for the stars of italian opera. and as final preparations get under way, i catch up with one of the conductors, ricardo frizza, and ask him what it s like to conduct an orchestra with new social distancing rules. it s difficult, it s not the same as before. because, of course, the more distance between the musicians, there s been more complications for the ensemble, for them playing together. does the music suffer in quality because of social distancing, in your opinion? yes.
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for an opera fan such as myself, it s a real treat to visit the roman amphitheatre in verona in northern italy which, since 1913, has hosted a summer opera festival. but it s with some trepidation that i come here because, like many, i m wondering how live opera performances are going to survive the coronavirus crisis. the arena s general manager and artistic director, cecilia gasdia, has invited me to come and see for myself how she and her team are all pulling together to make this year s festival work. cecilia tells me that social distancing rules mean, for now, opera s are being staged in concert form with no lavish sets and costumes and without intervals.
the opening concert is dedicated to italy s health workers. about 25 of the country s opera stars are singing arias from italian opera. i joined them at last minute rehearsals in a nearby venue. but how did opera singers keep themselves in shape to prepare themselves for a live performance after months of lockdown? well, opera singers are a little bit like athletes their artform is physically demanding and they have to constantly train and use their voice to maintain their fitness. the world renowned tenor francesco meli and his soprano wife, serena giambrone, could at least practice together during lockdown at home in genoa. the audience is. cos you see.