
Turandot • August 1, 2021 | Arena di Verona
Verona is world famous for the Opera Festival in the Arena di Verona, which attracts millions of music lovers every summer. The Arena di Verona is the world’s largest open-air opera theatre with space for up to 22,000 spectators on the steps of the 45 rows of seats.
Verona is a city of music and opera, especially in summer. The Three Tenors Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Josè Carreras were regulars in Verona. The Verona Festival started in 1913 with the performance of Aida on the occasion of Giuseppe Verdi’s 100th birthday. Opera lovers around the world dream of watching an opera on the marble steps of one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world. A dream that you should experience at least once in your life. Not only operas are performed in the Arena di Verona, pop singers such as Elton John, Bob Dylan, Zucchero and Sting also gave concerts here.
Verona is a World Heritage Site for its urban structure and architecture. The historic city center is beautiful and can be explored on foot. It is like an open archeological site in-between the many beautiful Renaissance palaces. And yes, it is famous for the setting of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Above all the beautiful sites is the Arena, a huge Roman amphitheater from the first century. The daily mean temperature between June and early September is 21C to 23C. This is perfect for an outdoor performance in the Arena. There are famous operas, concerts and ballet performances to chose from.
Every year we create exclusive music trips to Italy for friends of opera and ballet. Operas of the leading Italian composers Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and Gioachino Rossini are favourite in the Arena. Enjoy the extraordinary atmosphere at the Roman amphitheatre in the heart of Verona in the summer months under the open sky. Please make your travel plans early and select a performance of interest. Because, if there are less than two months to go, the best tickets might be sold out, the hotels might have increased prices and things may become difficult. With our music tours you get the best seats, on upholstered chairs, together with a nice stay program in Verona.
Turandot – Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2021
Turandot is the name of the “girl from Turan”. She is a princess from the Persian fairy tale collection A Thousand and One Days. The opera takes place in the Imperial Palace in Central Asia. As is so often the case in fairy tales, the suitor has to solve three riddles. If he solves it, he will have the beautiful princess as his wife, otherwise, he will have to pay for his passion with death. Kalaf, son of refugees, falls in love with the princess and was able to solve the puzzles. Even so, the princess remains cruel. Only Kalaf’s passion breaks their arrogance and the two become happy.
Turandot is the last opera by Giacomo Puccini, who died in 1924. Giuseppe Adami wrote the libretto based on the play by Carlo Gozzi. The opera was completed by Franco Alfano after his death and premiered on April 25, 1926, at La Scala in Milan.
The operatic aria by Kalaf “Nessun dorma” (Nobody Sleeps) is one of the most famous arias of all. She was a.o. sung by the unforgettable Luciano Pavarotti (one of the three tenors) on the occasion of the Soccer World Cup in Italy in 1990 in the Caracalla thermal baths and thus a world hit.
Lyric drama in 3 acts by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto
• Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni
Music
• Giacomo Puccini
Lasting
• 2.45 Hours approximately – Intervals included
Conductor
• Jader Bignamini (29/7 – 1, 5/8)
• Francesco Ivan Ciampa (28/8 – 3/9)
Director and set design
• Franco Zeffirelli
Costume Design
• Emi Wada
Choreography
• Maria Grazia Garofoli
Lighting Design
• Paolo Mazzon
Chorus Master
• Vito Lombardi
Arena di Verona Orchestra, Chorus, Corps de Ballet, and Technical Team
Cast
Turandot
• Anna Netrebko (29/7 – 1, 5/8)
• Anna Pirozzi (28/8)
• Elena Pankratova (3/9)
Emperor Altoum
• Chris Merritt (29/7 – 1, 5/8)
• Antonello Ceron (28/8 – 3/9)
Timur
• Riccardo Fassi (29/7 – 1, 5/8)
• Giorgio Giuseppini (28/8 – 3/9)
Calaf
• Yusif Eyvazov (29/7 – 1, 5/8)
• Murat Karahan (28/8 – 3/9)
Liù
• Ruth Iniesta
Ping
• Alexey Lavrov (29/7 – 1, 5/8)
• Biagio Pizzuti (28/8 – 3/9)
Pong
• Marcello Nardis
Pang
• Francesco Pittari (29/7 – 1, 5/8)
• Riccardo Rados (28/8 – 3/9)
A Mandarin
• Viktor Shevchenko
Performances Turandot Opera Festival Arena di Verona 2021
Travel Description
Essential Music Trip
- Gold category tickets for comfortable chairs (see chart)
- 2 nights accommodation with breakfast, shared double room
Program day by day
Day 1
- Arrival at the hotel
- Overnight
Day 2
- Breakfast
- Leisure time
- Arena Verona performance, premium tickets
- Overnight
Day 3
- Breakfast
- Departure and end of the program