Florence fills with
the sound of melodrama during July and August with Opera Festival 2008. This
July, the festival presents La Bohème, La Traviata and Carmina Burana. La Bohème
(July 17 and 29), still one of the most
cherished and performed operas of the Italian
tradition, marked the success of Giacomo Puccini as an opera
composer. Possibly the most famous opera
in the world, Verdi’s La Traviata (July 23) tells the
tragic story of Violetta, a French cortesan. Carmina
Burana (July 24) is a collection of medieval
Latin poems put to music by Carol Orff in 1937. Its most famous movement is ‘O
Fortuna’, which opens and closes the piece. For more information on the festival,
call 055/5978309 or visit www.festivalopera.it.
