The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma is set to revive a production of Verdi’s “Ernani” starting on June 11, 2022.

The production by Hugo de Ana will be conducted by Marco Armiliato and will showcase Francesco Meli, who reprises the role he debuted in 2013 under Riccardo Muti.

In a statement, Meli said, “The world is living through difficult times and opera asks itself questions and asks us questions about great civil and private passions, about honor, betrayal, and passion. Verdi’s music reaches places that we ourselves could not reach on our own: it is powerful, beautiful, and illuminating. Rehearsing ‘Ernani’ here at the Opera di Roma has given me further confirmation of this. But I’m also worried about Villa Sant’Agata, which is expected to be up for auction very soon. As an artist and an Italian, the villa is a symbol “in stone” of Verdi’s work. It is a beautiful house, rich with memories of Verdi and of Italian history. As Italians, we owe Verdi so much and that is why we should all make every effort so that the Villa becomes part of everyone’s cultural heritage to be enjoyed for what it is: Verdi’s home but also one of our memorial monuments.”

“Ernani” will star Ludovc Tezier, Giovanni Meoni, Evgeny Stavinsky, Angela Meade, and Anastasia Bartoli. The production opens on June 3 and runs through June 11, 2023. The first performance will be broadcast on Radio 3.