Opera at Circus Maximus, discover the shows of the summer 2021 season

The rich summer programming of Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera is taking place at Circus Maximus from June 15 to August 6.

A new adaptation of Verdi’s Il Trovatore conducted by Daniele Gatti and directed by Lorenzo Mariani, the debut of maestro Myung-Whun Chung conducting Orchestra del Lirico Capitolino with Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Madama Butterfly and Puccini’s La Boheme, two new performances readapted for the Circo Massimo stage. Great ballet is guaranteed with The Swan Lake and the night belonging to Roberto Bolle and Friends, while Vinicio Capossela will go on stage with Orchestra Maderna.

The Opera at Circo Massimo 2021 includes 26 nights of shows characterised, as always, by artistic excellence on a stage designed for the wide space of Circus Maximus and in full compliance with COVID-19 regulations to guarantee social distancing and safety. The audience, of maximum 1,000 people, will have access to four separate entrances.

With the Opera at Circo Massimo, we are trying to bring beauty to Romans and tourists alike and also the joy, after all this time, to once again experience culture together. Experiencing opera and ballet in such an extraordinary archeological site lets us multiply the pleasure of music and art, making these nights unique and unforgettable
said the director of Opera di Roma Carlo Fuortes.

The opening act of the summer 2021 season at Circus Maximus is a new adaptation of a great classic, Verdi’s Il Trovatore, with musical interpretation by maestro Daniele Gatti and directed by Lorenzo Mariani, in whose vision everything is rigorously black and white. After the premiere of Tuesday, June 15, the show comes back Saturday 19, Thursday 24, Sunday 27, Sunday, July 4 and Tuesday 6.

The second title in the summer programming is another classic in the ballet repertoire, The Swan Lake. A romantic ballet, swept by the eternal conflict between good and evil, that continues to fascinate audiences from all over the world. The notes by Pëtr Il’ič Čajkovskij are entrusted to Andriy Yurkevych’s baton, conducting the Orchestra of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. After the premiere of Tuesday June 22, there will be five encores: Friday 25, Saturday 26, Wednesday 30, Thursday, July 1 and Friday 2.

Afterwards, there will be Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, directed by Àlex Ollé and conducted by Donato Renzetti. In his retelling, the young geisha is an ordinary girl, no more naive or romantic than many of her peers; Pinkerton is a rich businessman. Dreams will be shattered, promises broken. After the premiere on Friday, July 16, there are going to be four encores: Tuesday 20, Thursday 29, Saturday 31, and Friday, August 6.

Saturday July 24 will welcome maestro Myung-Whun Chung with Messa da Requiem, often considered the symphonic-choral masterpiece of Giuseppe Verdi. Composed with grief over Alessandro Manzoni, writer beloved by the composer, it was executed for the first time in 1874 by Verdi himself to commemorate Manzoni a year after his death.

Continuing with La Boheme, one of the most well-known titles by Puccini. Conducting the Orchestra of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, maestro Jordi Bernàcer. After the premiere on Friday, July 30, the encores in August will be on Sunday 1, Tuesday 3, and Thursday 5.

On Wednesday, June 23, Vinicio Capossela will perform in the magical archaeological scene accompanied by the Orchestra Maderna conducted by maestro Stefano Nanni.

On June 13-15, the much-awaited return of international phenomenon Roberto Bolle, who will bring his gala for the first time to the Circo Massimo. The event will reunite some of the brightest stars in the world of ballet, gifting the audience with a moment of forever, of dance and music and wonderful visions.

All performances will start at 9:00 pm.