Website: http://www.arena.it/

Date: June 18 to August 29, 2010
Country: Italy

The Festival was first launched in 1913, by tenor Giovanni Zenatello and theatre impresario Ottone Rovado, in celebration of Giuseppe Verdi’s centenary. The opera productions are staged in Arena di Verona, an ancient Roman amphitheatre, capable of holding an audience of 30,000. Throughout the years, the quality performances by renowned artists, and the magnificence of the scenes, have made the Festival an attraction for both opera lovers and visitors.

The 88th edition this year, titled ‘Franco Zeffirelli and the Arena’, is the first time for the event to dedicate the entire edition to a Festival Director, and for Zeffirelli to receive a similar glory. Five operas, all produced by Zeffirelli, will be staged. The new production, Puccini’s Turandot, will be presented by Maria Guleghina, under the baton of Plácido Domingo. Chinese soprano Hui He will be the leading lady in Verdi’s Aida, and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, with Daniel Oren and Antonio Pirolli as the conductors. Carmen, the famous opéra comique by Bizet, will be conducted by Julian Kovatchev. In Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky will take the leading role.