Research proposal

This research aims to survey, catalogue and digitise the sheet music and press reviews from the early years of the Rossini Opera Festival (ROF). The goal is to reconstruct the relationship between musical sources, performance practices and critical reception by linking the materials produced by the Festival with those preserved at the Rossini Foundation.

This archival project represents an innovative step forward for the Festival’s digital archive, which is currently limited to data of productions, artists and the titles performed. The project aims to integrate previously excluded material (annotated musical scores, preparatory documentation and press reviews), transforming the archive into a research tool for the study of performance memory.

Methodology for achieving the objectives

The methodology adopted is interdisciplinary and operates on several levels: in terms of archiving, by linking the ROF’s materials with those of the Foundation and creating a dedicated database; in terms of digitisation, by selecting and organising materials intended for public consultation;

• in terms of comparison, by analysing Italian and international examples with online digital archives, such as the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Rossini in Wildbad, to identify models of cataloguing, accessibility and promotion applicable to the Festival’s context;
• in terms of public engagement, through exhibitions and workshops aimed at disseminating the documentary heritage.

Case studies

The project’s case study is the press coverage of the first ten years of the ROF, analysed as a corpus for studying the Festival’s critical and media reception. The research involves the systematic collection and cataloguing of materials, with the definition of methodological criteria and a metadata system to facilitate access and consultation. In parallel, the case study has found its first practical application in the creation of an exhibition, in which a selection of documents has been organised and made accessible to the public, establishing a model of a ‘visible archive’ capable of translating the research findings into a form accessible to the general public.

Data analysis and interpretation of results

The press review materials are analysed by comparing articles, reviews and interviews to identify recurring themes, narrative styles and shifts in the critical reception of the Festival. The analysis examines language, expressed opinions and the focus on musical, directorial and production aspects, thereby reconstructing the evolution of the Festival’s perception at both national and international levels. The data collected also enables assessment of the effectiveness of the adopted cataloguing criteria and the role of the digital archive in promoting the preservation of performance history.