Estate Fiorentina 2016

A summer of concerts and performances at museums, parks and courtyards of historical buildings

Music in museums, courtyards of historical buildings, national monuments, the great 19th-century Cascine Park, and the most beautiful piazzas. This is the rhythm of “Estate fiorentina” 2016.
CLASSICAL
The orchestra and chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino return to Palazzo Pitti Courtyard with three important presentations of the great Italian operatic repertoire, from Monday, June 20 to Tuesday, July 26 Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore (new production), from Thursday, June 23 to Wednesday, July 27 Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia (in the brilliant staging by child prodigy of opera directing, Damiano Michieletto) on Sunday, July 3 Monday, July 25 Verdi’s La Traviata and four concerts of music by Beethoven, Mozart, Rossini and Verdi (7, 14, 21 and 28). Thanks to the partnership with Antinori, the First Sector tickets include an exclusive aperitif at Procacci, historic Florentine shop opened in 1885 and private and ever-so exclusive access to the Boboli Gardens entering from Pitti Palace (Opera di Firenze).
And there is the now-traditional event for the Feast of San Giovanni, the patron saint of the city of Florence: Friday, June 24 during a solemn morning Mass at Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, the Messe des pêcheurs de Villerville composed for four hands by Gabriel Fauré and his pupil André Messager (O Flos Colende) will be performed.
Sunday, June 26 at the Terme Romane di Fiesole, in concert version, La Voix Humaine with music by Poulenc and libretto by Cocteau. Another event not to be missed, again June 26 and Sunday, July 10, is the special project Percorso silenzio (Silent Path) in the San Francesco Convent in Fiesole (Estate Fiesolana).
Friday, July 1, the boys of Volo are back in Italy with Una Notte Magica. Tributo ai Tre Tenori (A Magical Evening. Tribute to the Three Tenors), a unique evening in the evocative Piazza Santa Croce with a special appearance by Placido Domingo as conductor.
Tuesday 12 and Wednesday, July 13, in the Courtyard of the National Bargello Museum, the Chamber Orchestra of Florence plays the 3rd, 4th and 5th of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. Another great name, New York’s Joffrey Ballet Concert Group founded by Robert Joffrey, is on stage at the Courtyard of the National Bargello Museum Friday, July 15 with American Dance Now. (Bargello Estate). Friday, July 15, at the Castello dell’Acciaiolo in Scandicci, Gabriele Lavia reads and comments on Othello by Shakespeare (Fondazione Teatro della Toscana).
Thursday, July 21, in the Courtyard of the National Bargello Museum, the Balletto Teatro di Torino persents ChopInLove, with an edgy contemporary choreography, highlighted by the red costumes, in contrast to the immortal music of Chopin (Bargello Estate). The Opera di Firenze, in September, offers two unmissable events: Tuesday, September 6, a concert by the great pianist Martha Argerich with the Neojiba Orchestra, born in the wake of the famous “El Sistema” of Venezuela, directed by Ricardo Castro, while on Thursday, September 8, Stefano Bollani and Zubin Mehta will be meeting again and performing Concert champêtre by Francis Poulenc. Again on September 8, in Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, a concert by the Swingle Singers (the only Italian date) has been announced, with its seven world-famous a cappella voices, now a veritable legend, and a program specifically created just for Florence (O Flos Colende).
POP
In this magical Florentine summer, Pop reveals its boldest soul. We head off in the direction of the Cascine Park, the city’s green lung in constant evolution. There are two major stages: the great Visarno Arena, for a wonderful sound experience for all tastes, and the intimate Amphitheater, an exceptional location for experiencing the thrilling Kula Shaker with their iconic psychedelia, Saturday, July 9. Sunday, July 24, we are at the Visarno Arena for the group Massive Attack, the paladines of trip hop, explosive electronic, soul, and hip hop, forging a layered, dark and ever-changing kind of music. Thursday, July 28 at the Visarno Arena, the stage will host Sting with his “Back to Bass Tour”. Wednesday, September 7, Cat Power, again on stage at the Visarno Arena: an elite singer of American alt rock, she has an intimate and minimalist sound. One word: Dance. WiSH Outdoor Festival arrives for the first time in Italy, Saturday, September 10 at Florence’s Visarno Arena. We head to Piazza Santissima Annunziata, one of the most beautiful piazzas in Florence’s historic center, with origins dating back to the 13th century: an open-air site for quality music festivals. From July 18 to 23, get ready for Firenze Music & Art. The artists include: Malika Ayane (July 18), Battiato and Alice (July 20), Ludovico Einaudi (July 21) and Max Gazzè (July 22nd). Infinite wonder in beautiful Fiesole, which, as every year, opens the doors of its ancient Roman Amphitheater for the 69th edition of Estate Fiesolana. Worth seeing are the acclaimed rock trio Blonde Redhead (July 17), Niccolò Fabi (July 21), Cristina Donà (July 22nd), and the New Yorkers Snurky Puppy (July 25).