Festival of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Until 1st July 2025, the 87th opera festival in Florence

The 87th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival will be staged at the Teatro del Maggio in Florence from April 13, 2025. But do you know why it is called Maggio Musicale? We told you about it here!

Here are the most important titles of this new edition.

After his debut with Richard Strauss' Salome. Roberto Bolle returns to the Teatro del Maggio with Caravaggio: a masterpiece of dance, signed by the brilliant choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti in his Italian debut, and an emotional journey into the restless and brilliant soul of an immortal artist.

On May 25, 2025, with repeats on May 28 and 31, Der Junge Lord brilliant and satirical opera by Hans Werner Henze (1964) with Markus Stenz conducting and Daniele Menghini directing. This opera perfectly embodies Maggio's mission, which is to program and offer titles that are not, or only rarely, found on the billboards of other theaters.

Closing the Festival is Verdi's Aida (premiere is June 19 and performances on June 25, 28 and July 1) one of the most celebrated titles in the great repertoire, with Zubin Mehta conducting, staged, however, under the strong, tough direction of Damiano Michieletto (in the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich production) who sets it not in Egypt but in a bombed-out gymnasium that serves as a refuge for war refugees. The principal performers are Olga Maslova, SeokJong Baek, Agnieszka Rehlis, Amartuvshin Enkhbat/Leon Kim, Simon Lim, Manuel Fuentes.

87° Festival del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino ©Gianluigi Toccafondo

Concerts kick off in solemn fashion, in the Great Hall

• On 8 May, in the Mehta Hall, Michele Mariotti, who returns to the Maggio after about 10 years, conducts compositions by Mozart, Stravinsky and Poulenc for a choral symphony concert.

• Sunday 11 May sees the Maggio Fiorentino Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Maestro Daniele Gatti. The music is by Stravinsky and Prokofiev.

• At the Auditorium of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale, on 30 May, conductor Cornelius Meister will conduct the Orchestra del Maggio and mezzo-soprano Monica Bacelli.

• On 10 June in the Sala Grande the London Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano with a programme of music by Richard Strauss, Puccini and Berlioz.

• On 21 June, the director emeritus for life of the Maggio Zubin Mehta, while busy with the performances of Aida, conducts the last concert of the Festival's symphonic programme, with music by Beethoven and Strauss; at the violin Amira Abouzahra.

Instead, to learn about the schedule of the opera and symphony season before and after the festival, click here.