Opera Evening Honors Lina Aimaro Bertasi and Promotes Bel Canto

Evening dedicated to opera music and the remembrance of a great figure in the world of lyric singing: Lina Aimaro Bertasi. On Friday the 12th at the Kursaal theater – Aimaro. Lina Aimaro Bertasi, a renowned soprano of the 1930s–’40s, settled by Lake Garda at the end of her career and built the Teatro Kursaal in Lugana di Sirmione, where she promoted opera concerts and International Competitions alongside teaching.

She passed away after a long illness on January 14, 2000. In her will, she wished for the creation of a Foundation that would focus on the development of “bel canto”, a trait characteristic of her career as an opera singer.

Structure and objectives of the Foundation

The foundation was established, with its headquarters in the same Kursaal theater. The president is Rino Volpi, who was close to the celebrated soprano during her last years. The cultural sector will be overseen by Mario Arduino, a journalist, writer, and former mayor of Sirmione, an expert in the world of opera (but not limited to it), a music critic and biographer of Aimaro and other renowned artists (see Maria Callas), the Prof. Michele Nocera.

For relations with public authorities, Gabriele Busi and finally the administration are entrusted to Ercole Gagliano. The first act of the Foundation was precisely to promote an evening in memory of the artist who has passed away.

Details of the evening and speeches

The evening began with an introduction about the creation of the Foundation given by the host, Prof. Michele Nocera. This was followed by a speech from Mario Arduino. The concert then featured the participation of the dramatic soprano Martha Colalillo, an internationally renowned artist, performing “Ritorna Vincitor” from Verdi’s Aida, the scene of the suicide from Ponchielli’s Gioconda, the Habba Nera from Bizet’s Carmen, and in an exclusive debut — a piece usually reserved for tenors: Granada. Finally, with the San Biagio Choir of Rivoltella, directed by Maestro Antonio Albiero, the evocative “Vergine degli Angeli” from Verdi’s Forza del Destino.

The San Biagio Choir, besides the Vergine degli Angeli, also performed masterfully: Handel’s Alleluia, Beethoven’s Resta Con Noi, and the now famous “Chorus of Nabucco”. Pianist Michela Forgiane accompanied the performance.

Silvio Stefanoni