The Teatro alla Scala and the Opéra National de Paris have announced a new opera commission.

The companies  noted that Italian composer Francesco Filidei will write a new opera based on Umberto Eco’s most famous novel “The Name of the Rose.”

The world premiere will be held on April 27, 2025 at the Milan Theater and will be conducted by Ingo Metzmacher. Mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsay and baritone Lucas Meachem will star in the new work. Damiano Michieletto directs the production which is also set to be staged at the Teatro Carlo Felice.

In a statement, La Scala’s general manager, Dominique Meyer, called the new commission “a very important opera.”

Filidei is working on two versions, one in Italian and one in French, the second to premiere at the Paris Opera.

“The Name of the Rose” was Eco’s debut novel and was made into a 1986 film starring Sean Connery.