Italy’s Oldest Opera Festival: Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
In’33, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino was the first Italian music festival that was founded by Vittorio Gui who was an Italian conductor and composer. After the initial success of the festival, it then became a biennial event in’37. It was not until after’37 that it became an annual event. However, this was not the case during World War II.
Today, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is a yearly opera festival that conducts contemporary and bygone operas for opera lovers all over the world in stunning productions and displays. Music has always played an important part in Florence. The very first operas that were performed were at the end of the sixteenth century and since then Italians have grown with a deep appreciation for the musical arts.
Seating up to 2003 people at the Teatro Comunale, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is the centre of Florence’s musical life. In’62, Telemaco Bonaiuti designed the Teatro Comunale, which comprises of large stalls and two wide semi circular galleries that depict that of an amphitheatre. The first opera at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino was Verdi’s early Nabucco. An Italian romantic composer of the’th century, Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi, was one of the most influential composers of his time who performed in opera houses around the world.
Gaining international status since it first began; the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is one of the most important Italian opera festivals around the world that see thousands of visitors every year. With productions that are visually dramatic, the opera festival is a haven for opera lovers who enjoy the basic cultural choices with some of the greatest conductors. Some of the conductors at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino festival include Vittorio Gui, the founder of the festival, as well as Dimitri Mitropoulos, Wilhelm Furtwngler, Bruno Walter, Zubin Mehta, von Karajan and Muti. Zubin Mehta is also the current conductor, while Paolo Arc is the present Artistic Director of the festival.
The 2010 preliminary program suggests a feast of ballet and opera with opera performances ranging from L’italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers) by Gioachino Rossini, The Cunning Little Vixen by Leo Jancek, Il campanello (The Night Bell) by Gaetano Donizetti and Adriana Lecouvreur, based on the French actress Adrienne Lecouvreue (1692-1730) by Francesco Cilea. Ballet performances include the ever famous Don Quixote and Carmen Suite.
The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino was first founded in’33 and has since then become a world-renowned opera festival gaining international status as an important event. As the oldest Italian musical festival, it takes place during April, May and June with four operas, ballet, concerts and exhibitions. However, the activity of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino festival also goes on all year round.
Complete with concerts, ballets and the opera season, the Boboli Gardens is where you can find additional opera delights for opera lovers throughout the year.
Tickets for the 2009-2010 season of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino festival are on sale now.
For more information on hotels in the area please visit Hotel Florence near Maggio Musicale and click here for more information on Festivals in Florence Italy
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