The Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca has announced the titles for the 2024 season which will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Operas

The season will open on July 17, 2024, with Bellini’s “Norma” in an 1831 version. The opera will be presented as an homage to the festival’s past and will be presented with two sopranos singing the roles of Norma and Adalgisa. The opera stars Jacquelyn Wagner, Valentina Farcas, Airam Hernández, and Simon Lim. Fabio Luisi conudcts and Nicola Raab directs.

Performance Date: July 17 – August 2, 2024

Händel’s “Ariodante” will be presented and will mark the fifth opera the festival presents by the composer. Federico Maria Sardelli conducts a cast starring Cecilia Molinari, Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli, Teresa Iervolino, Biagio Pizzuti, Manuel Amati, Theodora Raftis, and Manuel Caputo. Torsten Fischer directs.

Performance Date: July 22-29, 2024

The second title will be Nino Rota’s “Aladino e la lampada magica,” the third opera by the composer. Francesco Lanzillotta conducts and Rita Cosentino directs. The opera stars Marco Ciaponi, Maco Filippo Romano, Claudia Urru, Eleonora Filipponi, Aleksandr Ilvakhin, and Rocco Cavalluzzi.

Performance Date: July 27 – August 4, 2024

Concerts

First up is L’Arte del Lied with Louise Guenter, Zachary McCulloch, Aleksandr Ilvakhin and Liuboc Gromoglasova taking on music by Beethoven, Brahms, Gruhn, and Rimsky-Korsakov, among others.

Performance Date: July 18, 2024

Mezzo-soprano Teresa Ierovolino joins forces with Andrea del Bianco for music by Mercadante, Rossini, Donizetti, Berlioz, Bizet, and Saint-Saëns.

Performance Date: July 20, 2024

“Un Incontro con Mozart” will feature works by Mozart as performed by Rosalba Aurora Ducato, Pepe Hannan, Giovanni Accardi, and Piergiuseppe Lofrumento.

Performance Date: July 20, 2024

“Concerto per lo Spirito” will feature music by Vivaldi as sung by Valeria La Grotta. Ferderico Maria Sardelli conducts the Orchestra Barocco Modo Antiquo.

Performance Date: July 26, 2024

Giulia Pierucci, Manuel Miro Caputo, Omar Cepparolli, and Matteo Saverio Grasso take on music by Händel in “Un Tocco di Barocco.”

Performance Date: July 27, 2024

“Assaggi Rossiniani” features Saori Sugiyama, Pepe Hanna, Francesco Bossi, and Eugenio Aiello.

Performance Date: August 3, 2024

Riccardo Frizza presents Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Jacquelyn Wagner, Miriana Lacarbonara, Ladislav Elgr, and Simon Lim.

Performance Date: August 3, 2024