Mark Gresham | 27 OCT 2025
American conductor Arthur Fagen has drawn enthusiastic critical response in Italy for his recent performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Teatro Pergolesi in Jesi (October 17 & 19) and Teatro Coccia in Novara (October 24 & 26). The productions, featuring the Time Machine Ensemble and presented under the auspices of the Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini, reimagined Mozart’s classic opera through a strikingly gothic lens while maintaining a deep respect for its musical and dramatic foundations.
Several Italian media outlets praised Fagen’s leadership for its refinement, dramatic clarity, and stylistic balance.
In its coverage, CorriereBit[1] described Fagen’s conducting as “refined and insightful,” noting that he “guided the Time Machine with sophistication and wisdom, emphasizing the most suggestive dynamic and tonal qualities of the score.” The review added that the conductor maintained “an impeccable rapport with the singers,” allowing them to bring out “the best of their vocal instruments” through carefully calibrated pacing and orchestral balance (translated from Italian).
Musicultura Online[2] highlighted similar qualities, writing that Fagen “found the right balance between the need to express the underlying drama of the musical narrative and to let the orchestra develop its full dynamic range.” The outlet also commended his flexibility in tempo and phrasing, which gave the singers “room to shape da capo variations without excesses,” within an uncut edition of the opera.
A report from QDM Notizie[3] described the performances as “openly applauded” and credited Fagen for his “precious and meticulous work” with the young Time Machine Ensemble, an orchestra founded eight years ago within the Pergolesi Spontini Foundation. The review underscored his precision and collaborative rapport with the musicians.
OperaTeatro[4] called Fagen’s reading “exemplary, free from mannerism, consistent with Mozart’s time.” The reviewer singled out the orchestra’s wind section for its “soft and crystalline sound,” underscoring the ensemble’s effectiveness under Fagen’s baton.
A separate feature in Affaritaliani.it[5] referred to Fagen as “a conductor of international stature, capable of revealing the full dynamic and dramatic richness of the Mozart score.” The review emphasized how his direction maintained both stylistic authenticity and dramatic tension within the production’s gothic reinterpretation.
Though the productions’ theatrical concept—portraying Don Giovanni as a vampiric figure—drew varied reactions among audiences, the musical consensus in the Italian press has been consistently favorable toward Fagen’s contribution. Across publications, reviewers cited his ability to balance classical transparency with expressive intensity, guiding the orchestra and singers through Mozart’s intricate score with precision and empathy.
Fagen’s collaborations in Italy are part of a long international career that includes opera and symphonic appearances throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. He currently serves as music director emeritus of The Atlanta Opera and professor of conducting at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. His repertoire spans classical to contemporary works, and his recordings include complete symphonic cycles by Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Mahler.
The recent Italian productions further reflect Fagen’s ongoing presence on European stages and his affinity for Mozart’s operas, which he has led in houses from Vienna to Atlanta.
As these reviews circulate, they signal not only a successful artistic reception for Don Giovanni but also a moment of renewed international visibility for both Fagen and the young Time Machine Ensemble. The favorable coverage underscores how regional Italian opera houses continue to serve as fertile ground for reimagined classics—and how international artists remain central to their vitality. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
(Note: All cited reviews in Italian; English quotations translated for reporting purposes.)
- Arthur Fagen: arthurfagen.com
- Time Machine Ensemble: timensemble.com
- Teatro Coccia: fondazioneteatrococcia.it
- Teatro Pergolesi: comune.jesi.an.it/w/teatro-giovan-battista-pergolesi
- Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini: fondazionepergolesispontini.com
- [1] CorriereBit – “Al Teatro Coccia di Novara grande successo per un Don Giovanni diventato vampiro” (“Don Giovanni turned vampire was a huge success at the Coccia Theater in Novara”): “Fagen’s conducting was of excellent quality, guiding the Time Machine with refinement and skill, highlighting the score’s most evocative dynamics and timbres, with tempo choices perfectly calibrated to the opera’s narrative rhythm. His rapport with the singers was impeccable, and they were put at ease by the orchestra’s volume and a break in tempo that allowed them to bring out the best in their respective vocal instruments.”
- [2] Musicultura Online – “Grande successo per il Don Giovanni di Mozart a Jesi” (“Mozart’s Don Giovanni a Great Success in Jesi”): “We really enjoyed Arthur Fagen’s conducting. The American conductor found the right balance between conveying the underlying drama of the musical narrative, leading the Time Machine Ensemble Orchestra to develop its full dynamic range, and at the same time alternating deep breaths and tight rhythms, expertly underlining the various narrative needs. In the arias of the various performers, there was the opportunity to make slight variations in the da capo without overstepping too much, and some initial refinements in the recitatives for a complete, uncut edition.”
- [3] QDM Notizie – “Jesi / Un ‘Don Giovanni’ da applausi a scena aperta” (“Jesi / A ‘Don Giovanni’ worthy of open-stage applause”): “Maestro Arthur Fagen, with his precious and meticulous work, directed the Time Machine Ensemble, a very young orchestra, founded eight years ago within the Pergolesi Spontini Foundation.”
- [4] OperaTeatro – “Jesi: Un vampiresco Don Giovanni” (“Jesi: A Vampiric Don Giovanni”): “On this occasion, he performed with an enlarged ensemble, led by Maestro Arthur Fagen. His conducting was exemplary, without any concessions to mannerism, in keeping with Mozart’s time. The orchestra, while not immense, was certainly effective, with the wind section particularly shining with a soft, crystalline sound.”
- [5] Affaritaliani.it – “Don Giovanni in scena al Teatro Pergolesi: una rilettura gotica per l’apertura della stagione lirica di Jesi” (“Don Giovanni on stage at the Teatro Pergolesi: a Gothic reinterpretation for the opening of the Jesi opera season.”): “The musical direction was entrusted to Arthur Fagen, a maestro of international stature, capable of restoring Mozart’s score to all its dynamic and dramatic richness.”
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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“Fagen’s conducting was of excellent quality, guiding the Time Machine with refinement and skill, highlighting the score’s most evocative dynamics and timbres, with tempo choices perfectly calibrated to the opera’s narrative rhythm. His rapport with the singers was impeccable, and they were put at ease by the orchestra’s volume and a break in tempo that allowed them to bring out the best in their respective vocal instruments.”
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