Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Encyclopedia
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is an annual opera festival which was founded in April 1933 by conductor Vittorio Gui
with the aim of presenting contemporary and forgotten opera
s in visually dramatic productions. It was the first music festival in Italy. The first opera presented was Verdi
's early Nabucco
, his early operas then being rarely staged. It now takes place between late April, May and into June, typically with four operas.
The first festival's success led to it becoming a biennial event in 1937 with the presentation of nine operas, but after 1937, it became an annual festival, except during the Second World War
. Performances take place in the Teatro Comunale
and Teatro Piccolo (as the name suggests, for smaller-scale operas), plus the historic Teatro della Pergola
.
The present Artistic Director is Paolo Arcà and, since 1985, the principal conductor is Zubin Mehta
.
In 2009, due to government funding cuts, two of the four operas (Billy Budd
and Macbeth
) were cancelled.
Vittorio Gui
Vittorio Gui was an Italian conductor and composer.Gui was born in Rome in 1885. In 1933 Bruno Walter invited him to be guest conductor at the Salzburg Festival....
with the aim of presenting contemporary and forgotten opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s in visually dramatic productions. It was the first music festival in Italy. The first opera presented was Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's early Nabucco
Nabucco
Nabucco is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on the Biblical story and the 1836 play by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Francis Cornue...
, his early operas then being rarely staged. It now takes place between late April, May and into June, typically with four operas.
The first festival's success led to it becoming a biennial event in 1937 with the presentation of nine operas, but after 1937, it became an annual festival, except during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Performances take place in the Teatro Comunale
Teatro Comunale Florence
The Teatro Comunale di Firenze is an opera house in Florence, Italy. It was originally built as the open-air amphitheatre, the Politeama Fiorentino Vittorio Emanuele which was inaugurated on 17 May 1862 with a production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and which seated 6,000 people...
and Teatro Piccolo (as the name suggests, for smaller-scale operas), plus the historic Teatro della Pergola
Teatro della Pergola
The Teatro della Pergola is a historic opera house in Florence, Italy. It is located in the centre of the city on the Via della Pergola, from which the theatre takes its name...
.
The present Artistic Director is Paolo Arcà and, since 1985, the principal conductor is Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
.
In 2009, due to government funding cuts, two of the four operas (Billy Budd
Billy Budd (opera)
Billy Budd is an opera by Benjamin Britten, from a libretto by E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier, was first performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 1 December 1951. It is based on the short novel Billy Budd by Herman Melville....
and Macbeth
Macbeth (opera)
Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name...
) were cancelled.