(Photo: MOF) Director Daniele Menghini returned to the Macerata Opera Festival (MOF) for this season’s revival of the 2022 production of Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” Dedicated to Director Graham Vick, this beloved and contemporary production tells the entertaining story of Italy’s modern man through the perspective of social media’s delusional gaze. Conductor Jacopo Brusa led the FORM-Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, {…}
The Teatro San Carlo has announced its 2026-27 season. Mariangela Sicilia, Marta Torbidoni, Piotr Beczała, Stefan Pop, Igor Golovatenko, Franco Vassallo, Michele Pertusi, Gabriele Sagona, Martina Belli, and Marko Mimica star in Verdi’s “Luisa Miller.” Daniel Oren conducts the production by Davide Livermore. Performance Dates: Dec. 2-10, 2026 Anna Pirozzi, Karah Son, Jorge de León, Giorgio Berrugi, Veronica Simeoni, Chiara Tirotta, Marco {…}
(Photo: Andrea Mazzoni) Composed in 1813, “L’italiana in Algeri” remains a masterpiece of bel canto dramma giocoso. Its plot, which worked in Rossini’s Europe, continues to function today, albeit from a different perspective: that of clichés associated with immigration. In the Ottocento, a remote setting such as Algiers aroused the public’s curiosity; Rossini and his librettist Angelo Anelli filled the story {…}
The Teatro Filarmonico has announced its 2026 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances in Verona. The season will open with Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” starring Ildar Abdrazakov, Paolo Bordogna, Ramaz Chikviladze, Gilda Fiume, Iván Ayón Rivas, Marta Torbidoni, Emma Fekete, and Alessandro Abis. Francesco Lanzillotta conducts the production by Enrico Stinchelli. Performance Dates: Jan. 18-25, 2026 Christian Senn, Loriana Castellano, Josè {…}
The Teatro Municipale di Piacenza has announced its 2025-26 season. Opera The season opens with Verdi’s “Stiffelio” featuring Gregory Kunde, Lidia Fridman, Vladimir Stoyanov, and Riccardo Rados. Leonardo Sini conducts the production by Pier Luigi Pizzi. Performance Dates: Dec. 19 & 21, 2025 Markus Werba leads Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” with Renzo Ran, Claudia Pavone, Marco Ciaponi, Carmela Remigio, Tommaso Barea, Alberto Petricca, and Greta Doveri. Enrico Pagano conducts the production by Andrea Bernard. Performance {…}
(Photo: Brescia e Amisano) It was December 7, 2019, when the curtain of Teatro alla Scala rose before the select audience that annually attends the Sant’Ambroeus performance, better known among opera lovers as “La prima della Scala,” the event that inaugurates the new season of the prestigious Italian theater. To open the 2019-20 season—unaware that it would soon be brutally {…}
(Credit: Brescia – Amisano © Teatro alla Scala) Legend has it that “La forza del destino” is a cursed opera, associated with tragedies that seem to haunt every new production. From companies falling into bankruptcy after staging it, to severe technical and production errors arising after the famous overture, and even the deaths of artists linked to the work—this reputation {…}
The Deustche Oper Berlin has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres Respighi’s “La Fiamma” will be directed by Christof Loy and conducted by Carlo Rizzi. The cast will include Aušrine Stundyte, Georgy Vasiliev, Vladislav Sulimsky, Martina Serafin, Sua Jo, Cristina Toledo, Martina Baroni, Karis Tucker, Caren Van Oijen, Doris Soffel, and Patrick Guetti. Performance Dates: Sept. 29-Oct. 18, 2024 Enrique Mazzola {…}
The Festival della Valle d’Itria di Martina Franca is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024. The festival will include three operas and will run from July 17 through August 6, 2024. Operas The festival will open with Bellini’s “Norma” in a new production conducted by Fabio Luisi. The cast will include Jacquelyn Wagner (Norma), Valentina Farcas (Adalgisa), Airam {…}
The Teatro Regio di Parma is set to open its 2024 season with Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” The company will present the opera from Jan. 12 to Jan. 20, 2024, in a co-production with Fondazione Rossini Opera Festival by Pier Luigi Pizzi. Diego Ceretta conducts the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini and the Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma. The cast {…}
(Photo: Brescia & Amisano) One of the more eye-catching works of Teatro La Scala’s current season is Leonardo Vinci’s “Li Zite Ngalera,” which has just finished a run of five performances. Vinci was born between 1690 and 1696 in Italy’s Calabria region but was dead by 1730, possibly poisoned by a jealous husband. Yet during his short life, he was {…}