Music is energy as much as energy is culture. The new season of opera, classical music, and ballet known as Musical May opened in Florence recently with the support of Enel. Now in its 81st season and with a new superintendent, Cristiano Chiarot, the Opera di Firenze is one of the most prestigious institutions in Italy.
Choosing to align itself with an international event in charge of setting up important cultural events in our country, however, is nothing new for the Group. In fact, Enel was a founding member of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome and, since 2003, has been a member of La Scala in Milan as well as one of the main sponsors of the many artistic and musical events taking place in the city throughout the year like the acclaimed La Milanesiana.
One of the three main goals of Florence’s Musical May is its international scope. Introduced on 19 July together with other proposals addressed to a younger public, this focus further develops the festival’s strong connection to the city of Florence, which has always been a cosmopolitan city. A project of this nature cannot, however, avoid issues of a financial nature, and this is where Enel’s support has proven fundamental.
“Having masters such as Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, and Fabio Luisi is a remarkable stimulus for us. For their sakes, we must be really focused on our ambitions,” Chiarot explained during the presentation.
The season will officially open 17 October with a performance of Giacomo Puccini’s “The Swallow”, an opera which has never been done in Florence until now. It will be one of five new operas together with “La sonnambula”, “Carmen”, “La Favorite”, and “Alceste”, three repertory operas (“L'Elisir d'Amore”, “La Traviata”, and “The Barber of Seville”), Verdi’s popular trilogy (beginning in September 2018), three operas for schools, and the ballet “Sleeping Beauty”. Between the Musical May festival and the official opening of the opera season, 20 operas, the ballet, over 90 plays, 36 concerts, and 47 soirées will take place.
To open the festival on 5 May director Fabio Luisi will present Paul Hindemith’s “Cadillac” while Emeritus Director for Life, Zubin Mehta, will direct a diptych made up of an opera and a concert alike: Luigi Dallapiccola’s “The Prisoner” and Verdi’s “I Quattro Pezzi Sacri” (Four Sacred Pieces).
After that we have a major comeback: Riccardo Muti will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of his debut in Florence by stepping up to conduct two performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Macbeth”.
Beginning 20 July, 21 different subscription schemes will be available online, directly at the box office, or at three shops in the city centre (at the Bigallo, located in Piazza Duomo, at the Uffizi Museums, or at the Santa Maria Novella Infopoint.)
The curtain is rising. Let the applause begin.