70th Annual Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

The 70th annual music festival in Florence, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, opens on April 24, 2007 with a world premiere of Antigone. Founded in 1933, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious music festivals in Europe.

The festival this year offers opera, ballet and classical music concerts at the Teatro Comunale and venues throughout the city. There will also be a handful of free events at the Piazza della Signoria.

The schedule is as follows.

Antigone (opera)
Under the direction of Mario Martone, music by Ivan Fedele, conducted by Michel Tabachnik
Teatro Comunale
April 24, May 4, 6

Orfeo E Euridice (opera)
Opera in three acts, conducted by Riccardo Muti
Teatro Comunale
April 28, 29

Contempoartensemble Maruo Ceccanti – A portrait of Ivan Fedele (concert)
Piccolo Teatro del Comunale
May 2

Mariss Jansons: Symphonie Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk (concert)
Music of Beethoven: Leonore n. 3, Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra op. 30 and Béla Bartók: The Miracolous Mandarin
Teatro Comunale
May 3

Béjart Ballet Lausanne: La vie du danseur racontée par Zig et Puce Boléro (ballet)
Teatro Comunale
May 11-13

Barenboim Project: Daniel Barenboim (concert)
Music of Franz Liszt and Giuseppe Verdi
Teatro Comunale
May 12

Barenboim Project: Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim (concert)
Music of Bartòk: Concert for orchestra, Beethoven: Concert n. 4 for piano and orchestra op. 58, and Franz Liszt: Concert n. 1 for piano and orchestra.
Teatro Comunale
May 18

Lucinda Childs: Daphnis et Chloé, Symphony of Psalms (ballet)
Music of Ravel and Stravinsky
Stazione Leopolda
May 19, 20, 22-24

La Dafne (opera)
Pastoral drama in one prologue and six scenes by Ottavio Rinuccini, music by Marco da Gagliano, conducted by Gabriel Garrido
May 31, June 1

Maggio Off
Performance of young artists
Auditorium al Duomo
June 6-13

Das Rheingold (opera)
Conducted by Zubin Mehta
Teatro Comunale
June 14, 19, 23, 27

Die Walkϋre (opera)
Conducted by Zubin Mehta
Teatro Comunale
June 16, 21, 25, 29

Fanny Ardant: La Maladie de la mort by Marguerite Duras (concert)
Teatro Comunale
June 18

Zubin Mehta, Leonidas Kavakos - violin (concert)
Music of Stravinsky: Symphony in three movements and Symphonie de Psaumes as well as Bartók: Concert for violin and orchestra
Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Teatro Comunale
June 22

Gala of Dance (ballet) – free admission
Maggiodanza
Piazza della Signoria
June 28

Last Night of Festival (concert) – free admission
Zubin Mehta - conductor, Fazil Say – piano, Orchetra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet, Ouverture-Fantasy, Concert n. 1 for piano and orchestra op. 23, Ouverture 1812 op. 49
Piazza della Signoria
June 30

Barenboim Project: Special Concert, Daniel Barenboim - Staatskapelle Berlin (concert)
Teatro Comunale
July 3 - Gustav Mahler - Symphony n. 5
July 4 - Gustav Mahler - Sinfonia n. 7