Il Mercante di Venezia

Category
Theatre

Year
1980

Description

This production of Il mercante di Venezia by William Shakespeare was directed by Memè Perlini and premiered at the Teatro Eliseo in Rome on 3 December 1980.

The production formed part of Perlini’s research into teatro immagine, in which visual composition, lighting and stage space assumed a central dramaturgical role. Rather than presenting a conventional historical setting, the staging adopted an abstract visual language that emphasised the psychological tensions of Shakespeare’s drama.

I composed the music for the production as part of my continuing collaboration with Perlini. The score was conceived as an integral component of the performance, contributing to the overall dramatic structure rather than functioning as incidental accompaniment.

Credits

• Text: William Shakespeare
• Direction: Memè Perlini
• Stage music: Francesco Accolla
• Cast: Paolo Stoppa, Anna Buonaiuto, Edoardo Siravo, Tonino Accolla, Sergio Castellitto, Ennio Fantastichini
• Set and Costumes: Antonello Aglioti

Documentation

• https://www.umbertocantone.it/william-shakespeare-collezione-cantone/
• The production is also preserved in the catalogue of the Istituto Centrale per i Beni Sonori ed Audiovisivi as a non-musical sound recording. The SBN record describes two open-reel tapes with a total duration of approximately 126 minutes and 20 seconds, received from the Teatro Eliseo on 10 November 1991. The record credits Francesco Accolla as composer and documents the production as represented at the Teatro Eliseo, Rome, during the 1980–81 theatre season.
• SBN identification code: IT\ICCU\DDS\0222661