Samuel's baroque-electronic opera 'La Cena del Tempo' becomes album and podcast

Samuel, frontman of the Italian band Subsonica, has released 'La Cena del Tempo', a baroque-electronic opera that began as a dinner-show at the Reggia di Venaria Reale in autumn 2022. The project is now available as an eight-track album and a podcast. The opera features electronic music inspired by Antonio Vivaldi, with a libretto by director and set designer Laura Venturini. The story is a fairy tale about the absence of time, populated by allegorical characters. Performers include Samuel, actress Alice Centazzo, actor Stefano Cavanna, and soprano Claudia Graziadei, who also appears on the album. The album was released by the label-factory Stellare, which also produced the podcast. The music reworks Vivaldi's compositions using synthesizers, drum machines, and genres like breakbeat, techno, and jungle, creating an electro-pastiche that echoes the Baroque practice of pasticcio. The podcast features Samuel as a storyteller, interweaving tracks from the album with a narrative about a dinner party where Time is absent. The event was organized by Buonissima with chefs Alain Ducasse and Davide Oldani. Vivaldi's original manuscripts are largely held at the Biblioteca Nazionale di Torino.