Extraordinary inauguration on 7 June with the worldwide event “La Grande Opera italiana Patrimonio dell’Umanità” (The Great Italian Opera, World Heritage), promoted by the Ministry of Culture and realised in cooperation with the Fondazione Arena di Verona, to celebrate the practice of opera singing in Italy, proclaimed intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. It will feature 150 orchestra professors and over 300 chorus artists from all the Italian lyrical-symphonic foundations. Maestro Riccardo Muti on the podium.
The Turandot that will open the Opera Festival will be recorded by Rai Cultura and broadcast later on Rai3, under the direction of the young Michele Spotti – making his debut in Arenal, as will George Petrou for Barbiere di Siviglia and Leonardo Sini for Carmen – and featuring the voices of Ekaterina Semenchuk (title role), Yusif Eyvazov (Il principe ignoto) and Mariangela Sicilia (Liù) on the opening night. The show runs from 8 to 29 June.
The Arena di Verona Opera Festival will host fifty events from 7 June to 7 September, including three titles dedicated to Giacomo Puccini on the centenary of his death. After the spectacular futuristic Aida by Stefano Poda of the past summer, the 101st season will open with the spectacular Turandot, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, on 8 June at 21.30. Tosca – with Anna Netrebko for the first time in this role in the Arena, in Hugo De Ana‘s historic ‘noir’ production – and a new production of La Bohème signed by Alfonso Signorini, which will make its debut in the Amphitheatre, are the other two masterpieces by the Lucca composer to be staged in the 2024 edition.
