John Zorn's Jumalattaret with Barbara Hannigan receives Abbiati Prize 2023

Spoleto, April 20, 2023 - Festival dei Due Mondi wins the Abbiati award for "new for Italy" of the year with John Zorn's Jumalattaret staged at the Teatro Romano for Spoleto 65 with Barbara Hannigan solo voice and Stephen Gosling on piano. More recognition for artistic programming at Festival dei Due Mondi after the Gramophone Awards to Barbara Hannigan and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, this time with the most important national award in music.

The "Franco Abbiati" Prize is awarded annually by the National Association of Music Critics, which chooses the best from among productions, concerts and initiatives held in Italian theaters, festivals and halls from concert halls.

A meeting was held yesterday, Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at the Milan headquarters of the Amici del Loggione, of the 42nd edition committee chaired from Angelo Foletto, and formed by the board of the National Association of Music Critics - Andrea Estero (president), Alessandro Cammarano, Carlo Fiore, Gianluigi Mattietti, Carla Moreni and Stefano Nardelli - and from seven critics elected by ANCM members from among its membership (Paolo Petazzi, Roberta Pedrotti, Alessandro Rigolli, Patrizia Luppi, Giancarlo Landini, Gregorio Moppi and Susanna Franchi) to decree the 2022 winners.

Particular satisfaction was expressed by artistic director Monique Veaute: "yet another acknowledgement of the artistic quality of last year's musical programming, which in this case underscores the innovative scope and originality of the proposal. John Zorn's Cycle sung from Barbara Hannigan at the Teatro Romano was awe-inspiring for the audience, which appreciated its musical and expressive beauty; so did the music critics in bestowing this important recognition on it. I am happy that it goes to two artists with whom we have a new and original project for 2024."

On the roll of awardees since 1981 are conductors Claudio Abbado, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Daniele Gatti, directors Luca Ronconi and Graham Vick, director-scenographers Pier Luigi Pizzi and Hugo De Ana, pianists Radu Lupu and Maurizio Pollini, and singers Anna Caterina Antonacci and Samuel Ramey.