Photo Credit: Painting of Antonio Vivaldi at Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna / Photo by Paul Hermans
Italian Baroque composer and violinist Antonio Vivaldi is the subject of an upcoming period film which begins shooting this month in Rome and Venice.
Antonio Vivaldi, the Italian Baroque composer and violinist best known for penning “The Four Seasons,” is the focus of an upcoming period film. “Primavera” is the feature debut of leading opera director Damiano Michieletto and begins shooting this month in Rome and Venice.
Written by Ludovica Rampoldi, the award-winning screenwriter behind films like “The Traitor” and “Gomorrah: The Series,” “Primavera” is a loose adaptation of Tiziano Scarpa’s novel, “Stabat Mater.”
The film is set in 18th century Venice and follows 20-year-old violinist Cecilia, who lives at the Pièta orphanage. Knowing that marriage is the only way out of her situation, Cecilia’s life takes a turn when she meets Antonio Vivaldi, who becomes her new violin teacher.
With the help of Vivaldi and his music, Cecilia “finds the strength to challenge the destiny that once seemed inevitable.” “Primavera” stars Tecla Insolia as Cecilia, and Michele Riondino as Vivaldi.
During his career as an opera director, Michieletto has collaborated with major Italian opera houses as well as those abroad, from Teatro alla Scala in Milan to the Royal Opera House in London, as well as Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Staatsoper in Berlin, and the Opéra Bastille in Paris.
“I feel the adrenaline rush, having long wanted to make a feature film; at the age of nearly 50 I am discovering new languages in which to test myself,” Michieletto told Variety. “Cecilia feels unwanted […] but she has a feisty character, […] and she is the only person to stand up to Vivaldi, who, in turn, is the only person who recognizes her talent.”
“Primavera” is produced by Indigo Film Production and co-produced by Warner Bros. Entertainment Italia, which will release the movie in Italy, as well as France’s Moana Films. The film also received backing from the Regione Lazio PR FESR fund and the Fondazione Veneto Film Commission.
Other key crew members include cinematographer Daria D’Antonio, editor Walter Fasano, composer Fabio Massimo Capogrosso, production designer Gaspare De Pascali, and costume designer Maria Rita Barbera.
