Lighting Designer

At the beginning of 1819, Gaetano Donizetti was a 22yearold composer who had just made his debut the previous year . He was linked to the wandering company of the impresario Paolo Zancla and was strongly bound to Bortolomeo Merelli, from Bergamo like him and at the time a librettist, before he became one of the most important and successful Italian impresarios of the nineteenth century. During the Carnival season of 1818-19, Zancla’s company was in Mantua to stage Clotilde by Coccia, which however had a disastrous outcome: the prima donna was thrown on stage not only cooked pears, but even an incendiary piece that luckily only burnt the edge of her costume instead of setting the entire theatre on fire. As a response, Zancla staged Ross ini’s L’italiana in Algeri and summoned to Mantua the young creative couple MerelliDonizetti, who pro duced Le nozze in villa, a typical opera buffa of the time, based on a comedy by Kotzebue translated into Italian as I provinciali. Little is known about the outcome of the opera; it was probably a fiasco, al though it was revived in Treviso in the spring of 1820 and then in Genoa two years later . The work also presents numerous textual problems, starting with the fact that there is no autograph copy, that the musical sources are dispersed and that the quintet of the second act, “Aura gentil, che mormori”, is com pletely missing . As part of the #Donizetti200 pro ject, the Festival will present the first modern perfor mance of this title, which has remained, until today, quite “mysterious” (very few sources speak about it). The quintet is no longer missing, because it was newly by Elio and Rocco Tanica with the collabora tion of Enrico Melozzi. The production is inspired by philological criteria for the musical part, with the use of the tuning fork of the time and “historically informed” instrumentalists, and by references to current events for the scenic part. The aim is to retrieve the satiric and funny work that Donizetti tried to offer to the difficult Mantuan audience, always remaining in the wake of the most illustrious com poser of his time, Rossini, who is the obvious model for the Nozze in Villa. This is a further step in the re discovery of Donizetti’s works, as we are aware that the more Donizetti is known the bettr.

Le nozze in villa

Gaetano Donizetti Theater

Elektra

Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi

She has a difficult personality – but a nice nose! This opinion expressed by a short statured Gaul is just one of the many legends surrounding the captivating pharaoh. Cleopatra's ability to stun the greats of her time has always served as a blessing for those in the entertainment business who had a keen eye for good material. Even though Handel's timeless smash hit bears the title of the Roman dictator, the Egyptian usually leads by a nose in this gem of the operatic repertoire. The way she warbles, charms, suffers, sobs and triumphs is breathtakingly beautiful.

Giulio Cesare in Egitto

Oper Leipzig

On a neglected farm, the animals revolt against their tyrannical owner. After some time, however, they are forced to submit to the yoke of a new leader from their own ranks.

Animal Farm

Vienna State Opera

The next Music Director of the Teatro alla Scala, Myung-Whun Chung, reaches his eleventh opera title at La Scala (having conducted over 140 concerts both at home and on tour) with this new production of Bizet’s Carmen, a co-production with London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and Madrid’s Teatro Real. Well-versed in French music—also through his work with the Opéra Bastille and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France—Chung leads a cast that is perfectly idiomatic. Alongside Clémentine Margaine in the title role, alternating with Stéphanie d’Oustrac, and Giorgi Manoshvili as Escamillo, the production features Vittorio Grigolo as Don José—a major Italian voice with a strong affinity for the French repertoire— alternating with Matthew Polenzani. Damiano Michieletto and set designer Paolo Fantin reduce local colour to a minimum in order to construct a bare and effective spectacle, focused on the ineluctable fate of the protagonists.

EPSG:4326

Carmen

Teatro alla Scala

A coup attempt and his best friend a conspirator – yet Tito would rather relinquish his throne than base his power on fear and terror. "La clemenza di Tito" is a work that poses timeless questions about the use of power, guilt, and forgiveness. Mozart's late opera seria contains some of his most fascinating arias and ensembles. The rising tenor Giovanni Sala sings Tito, while Cecilia Bartoli interprets Sesto, one of her signature roles. The historically informed Orchestra La Scintilla performs under the direction of Gianluca Capuano.

La clemenza di Tito

Opernhaus Zürich

An attempted coup is uncovered, and his best friend is a conspirator – but Tito would rather renounce his office as ruler than base his power on fear and terror. «La clemenza di Tito» is a work that poses timeless questions about how to deal with power, and about guilt and forgiveness. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s late opera seria contains some of his most beautiful arias and ensembles. Conductor Marc Minkowski returns to Opernhaus Zürich with this new production, as does Italian director Damiano Michieletto.

The clemency of Titus

Zurich Opera House

Lohengrin

Teatro La Fenice

A harrowing and powerful opera inspired by true events of the French Revolution.

The contrast between the quiet life of a convent and the sweeping, destructive forces of revolution lies at the heart of Poulenc’s opera, which is inspired by real events from the French Revolution.

Dialogues des Carmélites

Royal Danish Opera

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma

La Fille du régiment, or the “regiment’s daughter”, is what they call the young Marie, who was found when just a child on the battlefield by soldiers. The troops commit to raising the evidently abandoned girl themselves. A young man of course must soon enter the scene and stir a special interest in her, and the secret of her origins will soon also be revealed. In the best tradition of French opéra comique, with his team of librettists, Gaetano Donizetti created a piece that in a truly original way combines Alpine idyll, patriotic enthusiasm and romantic love with comic situations and heightened conflicts. While Donizetti’s piece was at times extremely popular, the “regiment’s daughter” faded from favour somewhat in the 20th century. It can now be rediscovered, from the famous overture right through to the both amusing and cryptic music, in its first new production at the Bayerische Staatsoper in almost ninety years.

La Fille du régiment

Max-Joseph-Platz

“The artist is a man, and he must write for men. … and you will see true hatred and its bitter fruit.” In the Pagliacci prologue, Tonio tells us what this opera is about – it seeks to put the reality of life on the stage. This applies for both works, which will now enjoy their first new staging at the Bayerische Staatsoper in 46 years (1978). Together Cavalleria rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo simply exemplify verismo. The basic situation: A woman is unfaithful. Another reveals this to the husband, and he, spurred on by this woman, takes bloody revenge on the lover. Cavalleria rusticana is about Turiddu, who returns to find his old flame Lola again, but she is now married to the carter, Alfio. Turiddu then consoles himself by seducing Santuzza. But the old love is reignited, and Lola betrays her husband, and Turiddu his girlfriend. In Pagliacci, the plot revolves around Nedda and her husband Canio, the leader of a group of comedians. Nedda’s love for him has grown cold, so she turns to the farmer, Silvio.

Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci

“If Falstaff got thinner, what would he be?” Sir John Falstaff loves food, wine and women – and urgently needs cash to pay off his debts. Despite his advanced age, he considers himself an irresistible heartthrob and writes two identical love letters to Mrs Alice Ford and Mrs Meg Page in order to get his hands on their husbands’ money. But the two women see through his plan and begin to play him at his own game ...

Falstaff

Semperoper Dresden

Trapped in an unhappy marriage Káťa is drawn into a passionate affair. As a wild storm brews, she is overwhelmed by her actions. Damiano Michieletto’s raw staging cuts to the heart of Káťa’s guilt and despair as she makes a choice between love and life itself.

Káťa Kabanová

Glyndebourne

Meanwhile, in the realm of the gods, an epic battle ensues between their ruler Wotan and his rebellious daughter, Brünnhilde.

The Royal Opera: Die Walkure (ENCORE) – Cert TBC

Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts

Gods and mortals battle in the second chapter of Wagner’s Ring cycle. Conductor Antonio Pappano and director Barrie Kosky reunite to continue the mythical adventure that began with Das Rheingold in 2023.

Royal Ballet & Opera: Die Walkure Live

Swan Shopping Centre

Gods and mortals battle in the second chapter of Wagner’s Ring cycle.

Die Walküre

Royal Opera House

Damiano Michieletto’s searing production returns, casting a new light on the lust, violence and passion of Bizet’s ever-popular opera.

This impactful opera is an experience unlike anything seen before at the Finnish National Opera. In an uprising on a farm, a group of animals overthrow their farmer’s tyrannical reign. Little by little, their new society begins to mirror human civilisation, and their original principles of equality are cast aside.

Finnish National Opera and Ballet

Danae must marry a wealthy man to settle her father's debts. All dream of gold here, and Danae more than all others. A powerful man takes an interest in her and sends another ahead. It would appear the right husband has been found. But, of course his wealth comes with a condition which stands in the way of true happiness. Danae must, Danae can choose between wealth and love, between dreams and reality, between the promises of wealth and riches, and of love and all its happiness. 

The Love of Danae

Journeying back to his school days, Hoffmann relives his childhood romance with Olympia, a model student in every sense. Doomed love follows him into adulthood, where the dancer, Antonia, is taken from him too soon. Meanwhile, the sensual courtesan Giulietta has her own secret agenda. As memory and fantasy becomes increasingly blurred, will Hoffmann find the enigmatic Stella before it is too late?

The Royal Opera: The Tales of Hoffman (ENCORE) – Cert TBC

Life is great! And it is cold... on Christmas Eve around 1830, in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The bohemians do not have enough money for the rent, the firewood or the feast. They may be penniless, but they are full of zest for life and their hearts are ablaze - until the finality of death breaks into their easy life...

La Bohème

Schiller Theater

La Fille du régiment, or the “regiment’s daughter”, is what they call the young Marie, who was found when just a child on the battlefield by soldiers. The troops commit to raising the evidently abandoned girl themselves. A young man of course must soon enter the scene and stir a special interest in her, and the secret of her origins will soon also be revealed. In the best tradition of French opéra comique, with his team of librettists, Gaetano Donizetti created a piece that in a truly original way combines Alpine idyll, patriotic enthusiasm and romantic love with comic situations and heightened conflicts. While Donizetti’s piece was at times extremely popular, the “regiment’s daughter” faded from favour somewhat in the 20th century. It can now be rediscovered, from the famous overture right through to the both amusing and cryptic music, in its first new production at the Bayerische Staatsoper in almost ninety years

Juan Diego Flórez and Leonardo Caimi lead a fantastic cast in Offenbach's dream-like opera.

The Tales of Hoffmann

Why choose when you can have drama, tragedy and comedy all in one evening? Enjoy Puccini's operatic trilogy in Damiano Michieletto's critically acclaimed and Reumert award-winning production.

Il trittico

Copenhagen Opera House

Cinderella

San Carlo Theatre

An all-star cast brings Damiano Michieletto’s white-hot production to life, with Ginger Costa-Jackson and Ramona Zaharia in the fiery title role, alongside Russell Thomas and Valentyn Dytiuk as the jealous and despairing Don José. Sesto Quatrini conducts Bizet’s electrifying and sensual score.

Director Barrie Kosky situates this rich apocalyptic drama in a contemporary world of dream-like turmoil. Antonio Pappano leads a cast headlined by Elisabet Strid, Andreas Schager and Mika Kares, who, with the full forces of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and Royal Opera Chorus, bring opera’s greatest journey to its shattering end.

Götterdämmerung

L’elisir d’amore

Men and women of flesh and blood take centre stage in Cavalleria rusticana as in Pagliacci. Reality becomes theatre and, when the masks come off, theatre becomes reality. In both of these short works, obsessive love and jealousy give rise to violent emotions and passionate musical outbursts. When they brought rural Italy to the opera stage, Pietro Mascagni and Ruggero Leoncavallo inaugurated verismo in music. Director Damiano Michieletto is reprising his 2018 production, which made a lasting impression with its powerful neo-realist transposition to an Italian village in the mid-twentieth century. For her debut at La Monnaie, conductor Alevtina Ioffe promises to bring out the emotional depth of these scores with their unparalleled dramatic force.

Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci

La Monnaie - De Munt

An elderly and wealthy bachelor, Don Pasquale, takes it into his head to marry a young girl – something he denies his nephew Ernesto, already engaged to the charming (but penniless) Norina.

Fortunately, Doctor Malatesta concocts a clever stratagem to force him to change his mind. A fake marriage, a sweet bride turned harpy and a misunderstanding later, order is restored, in perfect keeping with the traditional framework of the commedia dell’arte.

Lighting Designer

Alessandro Carletti

Events

Upcoming events

Apr 26, 2026 - Mar 21, 2027

La clemenza di Tito · Opernhaus Zürich

Apr 26, 2026 - Mar 21, 2027

La clemenza di Tito · Opernhaus Zürich

20 - 27 Oct, 2026

Cinderella · Teatro di San Carlo

Oct 29 - Nov 21, 2026

Carmen · Royal Opera House

Jan 21 - Feb 7, 2027

Götterdämmerung · Royal Opera House

Past events

Jul 5, 2026

Le nozze in villa · Fondazione Teatro Donizetti

19 - 28 Jun, 2026

Elektra · Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi di Trieste

About

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