The Donizetti Theatre Foundation is set to present “Raffa in the Sky” in September 2023.

The new opera is commissioned by the Donizetti Theatre Foundation for Bergamo-Brescia Italian Capitals of Culture 2023 to composer Lamberto Curtoni on a libretto by Renata Ciaravino and Alberto Mattioli from an idea by Francesco Micheli.

Micheli will direct the production to be staged at the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo.

In a statement, the foundation said, “‘Raffa in the Sky’ is an opera, a true opera, inspired by the iconic figure of Raffaella Carrà, the first great protagonist of Italian television but also an internationally renowned celebrity. It will not be a music biography, but the story of an artistic career that has accompanied, and sometimes prompted, the evolution of Italian society over the last fifty years.”

Meanwhile, Giorgio Berta, president of the Donizetti Theatre Foundation said, “On the occasion of Bergamo-Brescia Capitals of Culture. We have decided to undertake a great contemporary project, outside our usual seasons and the festival dedicated to our city’s composer. It is a project that can, however, bring us closer to the programs of international theater that annually include world premieres with the aim of creating new connections with the audiences.”