text Teresa Favi
Festival of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
All the dates of the 88th edition of the opera festival in Florence
The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival, reaching its 88th edition in 2026. But do you know why it is called Maggio Musicale? We told you about it here!
Key Titles of the New Edition
Opera Highlights:
The Festival opens on Sunday, April 19, with a title that renews the great and noble tradition of inaugurating festivals with new and very rare contemporary operas: The Death of Klinghoffer by John Adams. The direction of this new production is by Luca Guadagnino, one of the most acclaimed international film directors, making his debut at the Maggio. On the podium is Lawrence Renes, a major advocate of Adams’ music, who has frequently conducted and recorded his works.
The second opera scheduled during the Festival, starting Tuesday, May 12, with four subsequent performances, is Un ballo in maschera by Giuseppe Verdi. This is a new production by the Maggio, directed by Valentina Carrasco. On the podium, Emmanuel Tjeknavorian makes his absolute debut conducting an opera.
The third and final opera of the Festival is dedicated to Baroque with Handel’s Giulio Cesare, a three-act opera seria, premiering Sunday, June 14, followed by further performances. The production is from the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. Gianluca Capuano conducts, and the direction is by Davide Livermore, who sets the plot in the roaring 1920s.
Unmissable Concerts:
Daniele Gatti, Music Director of the Maggio starting April 2026, during the 88th Festival will present the first of two important symphonic cycles for the public: the complete nine symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven in four concerts on the following dates:
June 18 — Symphonies No. 1, 4, 7
June 23 — Symphonies No. 5 and 6
June 28 — Symphonies No. 2 and 3
July 1 — Symphony No. 8 and Symphony No. 9 with soloists Mariangela Sicilia, Eleonora Filipponi, Bernard Richter, Jongmin Park, and the Chorus conducted by Lorenzo Fratini.
To explore the opera and symphonic season lineup before and after the festival, click here
