FESTIVAL DEL MAGGIO MUSICALE

The 85th edition of the opera festival, in Florence until 8 July

Alongside Bayreuth and Salzburg, it’s one of the world’s oldest opera festivals, and the oldest in Italy. Maggio Musicale Fiorentino was founded in 1933 with a scope so lo y and so European that it even gave its name to Florence’s leading music institution - today a Foundation - comprising the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino conducted by Daniele Ga i alternating with conductor emeritus for life Zubin Mehta, and the Choir, conducted by maestro Lorenzo Fratini, both of which present an extraordinary winter programme in addition to the festival.

What Not To Miss This Year

Important dates for your di- ary during the 2023 festival include Verdi’s Otello on 20, 23, 26, 31 May and 3 June, directed by Valerio Binasco and with Zubin Mehta on the podium. Then there’s Beethoven on 25 May, in an orchestral concert that opens with the ‘Emperor’ Concerto no. 5 for piano and orchestra - conducted by Zubin Mehta, soloist Andrea Lucchesini - and Symphony no. 7, believed by Wagner to be “the apotheosis of dance”. Saturday 17 June sees an extraordinary concert, with the Maggio Musicale Orchestra performing at the Visarno Arena with classic British rock band The Who, the only Italian stop on the band’s The Who Hits Back! tour. The opera season closes with Verdi’s eagerly-awaited Falstaff,

Above:theOrchestraofMaggioMusicale Fiorentinoandheonorarydirectorforlife oftheOrchestrasince2006,ZubinMehta

Below:TeatrodelMaggioMusicale, SalaGrande conducted by Daniele Gatti and directed by Sven-Eric Bechtolf, with scenery by Julian Crouch and costumes by Kevin Pollard. Performances are scheduled for 22 and 27 June, 1, 4 and 7 July.

Where

The festival’s magnificent home is the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Piazza Vi orio Gui, 1) with its superb Sala Grande, known worldwide for its exceptional acoustics, the Sala Mehta (inaugurated in 2021) and the outdoor Cavea

WHY MAY?

Originally a triennial event, in 1937 the Festival del Mag-