Festival of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

From April 13rd till 1st July 2025, the 87th opera festival in Florence

The 87th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival will be staged at the Teatro del Maggio in Florence from April 13, 2025. But do you know why it is called Maggio Musicale? We told you about it here!

Here are the most important titles, starting with the three operas

The Festival opens on April 13, 2025 (three subsequent performances: April 16, 23, 27), with RichardStrauss's Salome, marking two important debuts at Maggio: that of Alexander Soddy on the podium and, directing, Emma Dante in her debut as an opera director.The principal performers include Nikolai Schukoff, Anna Maria Chiuri, Allison Oakes, Iain Paterson, and Eric Fennell.
On May 25, 2025, with repeats on May 28 and 31, Der Junge Lord brilliant and satirical opera by Hans Werner Henze (1964) with Markus Stenz conducting and Daniele Menghini directing. This opera perfectly embodies Maggio's mission, which is to program and offer titles that are not, or only rarely, found on the billboards of other theaters.
Closing the Festival is Verdi's Aida (premiere is June 19 and performances on June 25, 28 and July 1) one of the most celebrated titles in the great repertoire, with Zubin Mehta conducting, staged, however, under the strong, tough direction of Damiano Michieletto (in the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich production) who sets it not in Egypt but in a bombed-out gymnasium that serves as a refuge for war refugees. The principal performers are Olga Maslova, SeokJong Baek, Agnieszka Rehlis, Amartuvshin Enkhbat/Leon Kim, Simon Lim, Manuel Fuentes.

Concerts kick off in solemn fashion, in the Great Hall

April 18 with Zubin Mehta for Giuseppe Verdi's Messa da Requiem; soloists Roberta Mantegna, Agnieszka Rehlis, SeokJong Baek, Michele Pertusi; Maggio Chorus is conducted by Lorenzo Fratini
May 3, Diego Ceretta conducts Benjiamin Britten's War Requiem; in the Great Hall pit, in addition to the Orchestra del Maggio, the Orchestra of Tuscany; solo voices are by Elizaveta Shuvalova, Ian Bostridge, Dietrich Henschel
On May 8, in the Mehta Hall, Michele Mariotti, who returns to the Maggio after about 10 years, conducts compositions by Mozart, Stravinsky and Poulenc for a choral symphony concert.
On June 10 in the Great Hall the important guest appearance of the London Symphony Orchestra to be conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano with a program of music by Richard Strauss, Puccini and Berlioz.
May's director emeritus for life Zubin Mehta, while busy with performances of Aida, conducts the last concert of the Festival's symphonic program, with music by Beethoven and Strauss; on violin Amira Abouzahra.

Instead, to learn about the schedule of the opera and symphony season before and after the festival, click here.