Opera surprises Rai 1: Belcanto, a result that no one could have imagined

We propose "Tele...raccomando", the column by Klaus Davi dedicated to the small screen

WHO RISES ( Belcanto ) The fiction sector has always tried to bring to a popular target even contents usually reserved for cultural elites. But this trend has become more pronounced in the last calendar year. Let's think of Leopardi-Il poeta dell'Infinito broadcast in January on Rai 1 which brought to mind literary series such as Giuseppe Verdi on Rai or Maria Montessori on Canale 5.

Monday evening was the turn of Belcanto, a new Rai Fiction production centered on the passion for opera with 19th century Italy as a backdrop and the exploits of a single mother who does everything she can to make her daughters' wishes come true.

The challenge for director Carmine Elia and the main actress Vittoria Puccini seems to have been won: 3,574,000 viewers, 20.7% average share with peaks of 26% and a good contribution from the Total Audience Auditel which records 40 thousand viewers gained from viewing on technological devices. Immortal arias such as Casta Diva by Bellini or Ave Maria by Schubert echo in the series and give the go-ahead to a possible goldmine for Rai.