Beginning with Beethoven

Beginning with Beethoven

A city known for its centuries-old buildings and landmarks, Florence will soon step into the modern age with the opening of a sleek new opera house.   Located on viale Fratelli Rosselli, next to the Stazione Leopolda, the Teatro dell'Opera di Firenze will open its doors for a

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Thu 15 Dec 2011 1:00 AM

A city known for its centuries-old buildings and
landmarks, Florence will soon step into the modern age with the opening of a
sleek new opera house.

 

Located on viale Fratelli Rosselli, next to the
Stazione Leopolda, the Teatro dell’Opera di Firenze will open its doors for a
public preview on December 21, kicking off 10 days of celebrations (see calendar).
With work on the final touches scheduled to begin after January 1, 2012, the
official opening is projected for November 24, 2012.

 

The massive complex, located between Porta al
Prato and the Cascine, was designed by Paolo Desideri of Abdr Architetti
Associati. Once complete, the venue will house three concert halls, making it
possible to entertain audiences of up to 5,000 in three separate, simultaneous
performances. With the goal of making the new theater and opera house a
cultural hub, a place for entertainment, education, and appreciation of music
and the arts, the facility will be open and accessible to the public during
daytime hours.

 

The Council of the President, the Tuscan Region
and the City of Florence provided the funding for this extensive project, which
is expected to further enhance the city’s already vibrant cultural life.

‘It was a miracle, not only an Italian miracle
but also a global one, because almost all of the 160 million euro set aside for
construction work has been used in 22 months. We won the international competition
in January 2008; we started construction in 2009; and in 2011 we will celebrate
the completion of the first phase of works,’ said Desideri.

 

The exterior of the opera house is decidedly
modern, featuring a rectangular geometric structure and contemporary lighting
that shines through rectangular spaces from the sides of the building. The interior
uses smooth geometric lines and cool wooden panels.

 

The new opera house, however, unites modernity
and antiquity: performances will continue to celebrate the long-standing
musical and theatrical tradition in Florence, the city that gave birth to the
opera in the 1600s (see TF 83).

 

The complex also opens just in time to catch the
tail end of the 150th anniversary of Italian unity. ‘Culture found a home [in
Florence and in Italy],’ says Francesca Colombo, general manager of the Maggio
Musicale Fiorentino. ‘Florence now has a house for art where the Maggio
Musicale Fiorentino will continue to hold the high artistic standards that has
always distinguished it.’

On December 21, conductor Zubin Mehta will lead
the orchestra and chorus of the Maggio Musicale; they will be joined by
world-famous singers Anja Kampe, Stella Grigorian, Michael Schade and Juha
Uusitalo in the performance of Beethoven’s Leonore n. 3 and Ninth
Symphony. The orchestra will also perform the world premiere of Gengenliebe
(Reciprocated love), composed by Sylvano Bussotti for the Maggio Musicale.
Other famous names in Florence will also play a role in the inaugural event:
Gucci and Ferragamo are patrons.

 

The theater will host six other concerts and
special events leading up to a concert and New Year’s Eve party on December 31.

 

To allow everyone in the city to join the
celebration, Rai 5 and Rai Radio 3 will broadcast live the December 21
performance. In addition to broadcasting a recording of the December 23 concert
conducted by Claudio Abbado, Rai Radio 3 will broadcast live the New Year’s Eve
concert.

 

 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

 

December 21, 8:30pm: Conducted by Zubin
Mehta, the Orchestra and Chorus of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino perform works by
Beethoven and Sylvano Bussotti.

December 22, 9:30pm: The Stefano Bollani
Trio performs a selection of jazz music.

December 23, 11am: A meeting on the project
of the new Florence opera house; free admission.

December 23, 8pm: Conducted by Claudio
Abbado, the Orchestra Mozart and the Orchestra and Chorus of Maggio Musicale
Fiorentino perform works by Brahms and Mahler.

December 27, 8:30pm: Pianist András Schiff
performs works by Bach, in collaboration with the Amici della Musica of
Florence.

December 28, 8:30pm: Conducted by Fabio
Luisi, pianist Radu Lupu and the Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
perform works by Matteo D’Amico, Beethoven and Brahms.

December 29, 8:30 pm: Directed by Francesco
Ventrigia, the MaggioDanza perform selections from various ballets, with guest
star Alessandro Riga.

December 31, 9pm: Concert and New Year’s
Eve party conducted by Zubin Mehta. Violinist Leonidas Kavakos, soprano
Patrizia Ciofi, tenor Fabio Sartori, and the Orchestra and Chorus of Maggio
Musicale Fiorentino perform works by Verdi, Beethoven, Ravel, Puccini and
Rimskij-Korsakov.

 

For more information, call 055/2779350 or see www.maggiofiorentino.com;
for tickets, email tickets@maggiofiorentino.com

 

For a review of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino’s upcoming 2012 opera
season, see page 16.

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