PUCCINI FESTIVAL – Opera Festival: La Bohème

The Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago is the only Festival in the world fully dedicated to the composer Giacomo Puccini. It takes place every summer during the months of July and August, in the very places that inspired Maestro Puccini’s immortal melodies.

The Festival saw its first light in 1930 and over the years has become an increasingly prestigious event which each year attracts tens of thousands of spectators from all over the world.

At the Puccini Festival, you can appreciate the great stars of opera, under the direction of some of the most important conductors, and admire the extraordinary stagings executed by famous directors of Puccini’s operas such as Madama Butterfly, Turandot, La Bohème, Tosca, Manon Lescaut. The Great Open Air Theatre with 3,400 seats, dedicated to Maestro Puccini, opens onto the picturesque Massaciuccoli Lake and is surrounded by a park of extraordinary charm that houses works of art by great contemporary sculptors such as Pietro Cascella, Jean-Michel Folon and Kan Yasuda, to name some. Just a few steps away is the house where the Maestero lived and composed most of his Masterpeaces.

 
The program novelty of the 2016 Festival is represented by a double performance of the opera Turandot by composer Ferruccio Busoni, also native from Tuscany and born in Empoli in 1886. Just like Puccini he was fascinated by Carlo Gozzi's fairy tale and composed, anticipating Puccini, an opera on the subject based on an own libretto.

 

For years, the opera festival is accompanied by a program side events, called "Pucciniano Off", a container of pop music and classic music concerts, dance, musical and art exhibitions, which enrich both the premises of the theatre and its park. Among the top shows this year is back the appreciated musical Notre Dame de Paris, and the concert by the pianist and conductor Ezio Bosso, for the first time in Torre del Lago Puccini. 

The program:

 

Friday, July 15
Tosca –  Melodrama in three acts on a libretto by L. Illica and G. Giacosa. Music by Giacomo Puccini.
Interpreters: Floria Tosca: Hui He; Cavaradossi: Marco Berti; Scarpia: Lucio Gallo. Conductor: Philippe Auguin. 

Saturday, July 16
La Bohème –  Melodrama in three acts on a libretto by L. Illica and G. Giacosa. Music by Giacomo Puccini.
Interpreters: Mimì: Angela Gheorghiu; Musetta: Daniela Cappiello; Rodolfo:Ramon Vargas; Marcello: Francesco Verna. Conductor: Alberto Veronesi.

Saturday, July 22
La Bohème –  Melodrama in three acts on a libretto by L. Illica and G. Giacosa. Music by Giacomo Puccini.
Interpreters: Mimì: Angela Gheorghiu; Musetta: Elisabetta Zizzo; Rodolfo:Ramon Vargas; Marcello: Francesco Verna. Conductor: Alberto Veronesi. 

Saturday, July 23
Turandot – Lyric drama in three acts on a libretto by G.  Adami and R. Simoni. Music by Giacomo Puccini.
Interpreters: Turandot: Martina Serafin; L'Imperatore Altoum: Vladimir Reutov; Timur: Alessandro Guerzoni; Calaf: Rudy Park; Liu: Francesca Cappelletti. Conductor: Jacopo Sipari di Pescasseroli.

Friday, July 29
Madama Butterfly –  Japanese Tragedy in two acts on a libretto by L. Illica and G. Giacosa. Music by Giacomo Puccini. 
Interpreters: Cio Cio San: Donata D'Annunzio Lombardi; Suzuki: Ido Yasuko;  F.B. Pinkerton: Leonardo Caimi. Conductor: Eddi De Nadai.

Saturday, July 30
Turandot – Lyric drama in three acts on a libretto by G.  Adami and R. Simoni. Music by Giacomo Puccini.
Interpreters: Turandot: Martina Serafin; L'Imperatore Altoum: Vladimir Reutov; Timur: Alessandro Guerzoni; Calaf: Rudy Park; Liu: Francesca Cappelletti. Conductor: Jacopo Sipari di Pescasseroli.

Sunday, July 31
Turandot (*) – By Ferruccio Busoni.
Interpreti: Turandot: Anna Maria Stella Pansini; L'Imperatore Altoum: Davide Mura; Adelma: Carlotta Vichi; Calaf: Ugo Tarquini; Barach: Raffaele Raffio. Conductor: Beatrice Venezi.

Friday, August 5
La Bohème –  Melodrama in three acts on a libretto by L. Illica and G. Giacosa. Music by Giacomo Puccini.
Interpreters: Mimì: Silvana Froli; Musetta: Elisabetta Zizzo; Rodolfo: Amadi Lagha; Marcello: Sun Lee. Conductor: Alberto Veronesi. 

Satruday, August 6
Tosca –  Melodrama in three acts on a libretto by L. Illica and G. Giacosa. Music by Giacomo Puccini.
Interpreters: Floria Tosca: Dimitra Theodossiou; Cavaradossi: Giancarlo Monsalve; Scarpia: Carlo Guelfi. Conductor: Philippe Auguin. 

Wednesday, August 10
Madama Butterfly – Japanese Tragedy in two acts on a libretto by L. Illica and G. Giacosa. Music by Giacomo Puccini.
Interpreters: Cio Cio San: Donata D'Annunzio Lombardi; Suzuki:  Antonella Carpenito;  F.B. Pinkerton: Simone di Giulio. Conductor: Eddi De Nadai.

Thursday, August 11
Tosca –  Melodrama in three acts on a libretto by L. Illica and G. Giacosa. Music by Giacomo Puccini.
Interpreters: Floria Tosca: Dimitra Theodossiou; Cavaradossi: Giancarlo Monsalve; Scarpia: Carlo Guelfi. Conductor: Philippe Auguin. 

Friday, August 12
Turandot – Dramma lirico in 3 atti, su libretto di G. Adami e R. Simoni.  Musica di Giacomo Puccini.
Interpreters: Turandot: Rebeka Lokar; L'Imperatore Altoum: Vladimir Reutov; Timur: Davide Mura; Calaf: Amadi Lagha; Liu: Francesca Cappelletti. Conductor: Jacopo Sipari di Pescasseroli.

Saturday, August 13
Turandot (*) – By Ferruccio Busoni.
Interpreters: Turandot: Anna Maria Stella Pansini; L'Imperatore Altoum: Davide Mura; Adelma: Donatella De Caro; Calaf: Micheal Alfonsi; Barach: Raffaele Raffio. Conductor: Beatrice Venezi.

FESTIVAL PUCCINI – Opera Festival
Viareggio, Fraz. Torre del Lago Puccini
Open Air Theatre Puccini, via delle Torbiere, (*) Auditorium Caruso
2016 July 15/16, 22/23, 29/30/31, August 5/6, 10/11/12/13
h. 21:15 
Price: € 19,50 / € 159,00