Live Opera is Returning to Italy This Summer, With Performances From The Puccini Festival, Macerata Festival, Rossini Opera Festival, and Many More

According to Rhinegold, live opera is beginning to emerge again in Italy, with many companies planning shows for this summer.

Live concerts and full-fledged opera productions scheduled for this summer include The Puccini Festival (continuing until 21 August), Festival delle Valle d'Itria (14 July to 2 August), Macerata Festival (18 July to 9 August) and Rossini Opera Festival (8 to 20 August), the Verona Arena Opera Festival (25 July to 29 August), and many more.

In Naples's Piazza del Plebiscito, there will be a concert performance of Tosca from the Teatro San Carlo (23 and 26 July), as well as a concert version of Aida (28 and 31 July). Rome Opera's outdoors series opens on 16 July at the Circo Massimo, with a new Damiano Michieletto production of Rigoletto.

By 15 June, the country's live classical and pop music, theatre and dance companies had lost €171m since the start of the lockdown, according to the Corriere della Sera.

But now, with easing restrictions, many productions are able to go on one more.

Of course, health and safety precautions are taking place. For performances in the Teatro Rossini, access to bathrooms has been blocked off, intervals have been removed to limit crowding and the orchestra will be placed in the stalls with the audience in boxes, to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

"If we don't take risks in the summer, we will lose the battle in the winter,' said Luciano Messi, Macerata's superintendent.

Read more on Rhinegold.

To post a comment, you must register and login.