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Clytemnestra
or of Crime and Emotions
10.11.2026
- Artists
- Riccardo Martinini
- Lucia Mascino
- Cappella Musicale di Villa Medici
- Marta Pacifici
- Alicja Szydłowska
Since 2024, Villa Medici has been showcasing a programme centred on Baroque music.
This autumn, under the baton of Riccardo Martinini, the Capella Musicale di Villa Medici presents Clytemnestra, or of Crime and Emotions. The concert will alternate between Baroque and contemporary works, and will feature a reading by Lucia Mascino of the monologue taken from Marguerite Yourcenar’s book Feux.
"Feux" by Marguerite Yourcenar
The monologue read by Lucia Mascino is taken from Feux, a book written by Marguerite Yourcenar in 1935 and republished at the author’s request in 1957.
In the theatrical adaptation presented in this production, antiquity and the legend of Clytemnestra transcend time through the languages in which they are told. The narrative, the archaic language of Greek songs, the language of the Aegean coast, the language of 20th-century art music, and the language of Monteverdi—who pioneered the melodrama—are brought together within a unique metaphysical framework.
The performance draws directly on the author’s own instructions: each performer’s journey begins with a careful use of historicized languages and culminates, in each instance, in the very essence of this complex and fervent emotion.
Cappella Musicale di Villa Medici
Founded in 2024 through an initiative of Villa Medici and Riccardo Martinini, the Cappella Musicale di Villa Medici presents concerts dedicated to the great Baroque repertoire. During its first year of activity, the ensemble performed works by Monteverdi, Bach, Lully, Carissimi, Purcell, and Scarlatti, as well as contemporary works, notably those by composer Séverine Ballon, a 2023–2024 resident at the French Academy in Rome.
La Cappella Musicale is also developing collaborations with major cultural institutions, including the Borghese Gallery and the Appia Antica Archaeological Park, as well as with festivals such as I Concerti nel Parco in Rome, the Sagra Malatestiana in Rimini, and the Scarlatti Festival in Naples. La Cappella Musicale recently completed its first tour of France, performing in the cities of Bordeaux and Toulouse.
With Paolo Barbato, Marco Ciardo, Susanna Coppotelli, Ilaria De Bortoli, Giovanna Gallelli, Chiara Dilitta Marini, Flavia Manzo, Federico Mauro Marcucci, Andrea Martucci, Michele Micocci, Irene Moretti, Marta Pacifici, Iuliia Petrochenko, Andrea Cristian Timoleoni, Cecilia Zambianchi.
On harpsichord, Fabio Marconetti.
Conducted by Riccardo Martinini.Concert program
Musical works by Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Il Verso, Manos Xatzidakis, György Ligeti, Maurice Ravel, and Witold Lutosławski.
Baroque seasons at Villa Medici
Since 2024, Villa Medici has been hosting a series of events centered on Baroque music.
Lucia Mascino
Born in Ancona, Lucia Mascino is one of the most beloved theater, film, and television actresses on the Italian scene.
In theater, she has worked with companies such as the Teatro Stabile delle Marche and with directors such as Giorgio Barberio Corsetti and Filippo Timi, for whom she has played the lead role in plays such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Don Juan.
She made her mark on the big screen with Francesca Comencini’s film Amori che non sanno stare al mondo, which earned her the Anna Magnani Award for Best Actress and established her as one of the most remarkable talents of her generation. She went on to star in dozens of films for both the big screen and television, consistently earning critical acclaim, national awards, and the admiration of her devoted fans. She continues to...
Riccardo Martinini
Riccardo Martinini is a concert performer, teacher, and cultural promoter. He served as the head of the cello department at the G.B. Martini Conservatory in Bologna and the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. As one of the leading advocates for the dissemination of musicological research in Italy, he has contributed since the early 1980s to the production of symphonic, choral, orchestral, and chamber music performances, as well as recordings, combining his artistic work with efforts to educate the public and train students.
He has performed in major seasons, at festivals, and in theaters across Europe, and collaborates with producers, directors, composers, and choreographers on the creation of contemporary and original productions. From 2020 to 2025, he served as artistic advisor for the...
Alicja Szydłowska
Alicja Szydłowska is a Polish cellist who graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where she studied under Maestro Marcin Zdunik. She currently performs with Poland’s leading symphony orchestras, while continuing to appear in prestigious chamber music and solo recitals. She has won the UMFC Rector’s Scholarship three times, and in 2023, she was awarded the “Młoda Polska” scholarship to purchase a custom-made cello. In 2024, she had the opportunity to complete a three-month internship at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, in the class of Maestro Riccardo Martinini, with whom she collaborated on educational and concert projects.
Practical Information
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Two performances at 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
The Grand Salon of Villa Medici
Ticket Information
6:30 p.m. performance
Tickets
For the 8:00 p.m. performance
Tickets
Tickets for the show can be purchased on-site on the day of the event, starting at 6:00 PM until the show begins. Advance reservations are required by calling +39 069 652 5937 or +39 339 804 1777, or by emailing [email protected].
