At the Sferisterio, "The Merry Widow." Then Rigoletto, Macbeth, and ballet.

The Macerata Opera Festival (July 18 - August 10) features the Sferisterio debut of Lehar's operetta The Merry Widow and the revival of highly successful productions such as Federico Grazzini's Rigoletto (July 19 and 25, August 3 and 8) and Emma Dante's Macbeth (July 26, August 1, 7, and 10). The program will be further enriched on July 29 by the dance performance of Carmen in the Flamenco production by the Antonio Gades Company, created in collaboration with Carlos Saura, which will bring a show that has now become part of the theater's history to the beautiful arena. These are hectic days ahead of Friday's 9:00 p.m. debut (all performances will begin at the same time) with The Merry Widow, directed by Arnaud Bernard and choreographer Gianni Santucci. The choreographer has translated and revised Victor Léon and Leo Stein's celebrated text, strengthening certain characters, such as the role of Njegus, which will benefit from a new Neapolitan touch in the style of gramelot. Santucci has also worked, in concert with the musical direction of the young Marco Alibrando, on the dance scenes that will run throughout the opera, surprising the audience with a whirlwind of references to recreate the sophisticated, wild, and playful atmosphere of Europe between Art Nouveau and the Belle Époque. The star of the show is the young Romanian soprano Mihaela Marcu, who has assiduously performed the role of the wealthy widow Hanna Glawari since her first public appearances. then there will be the Veronese Cristin Arsenova, the tenors Alessandro Scotto di Luzio and Valerio Borgioni, the baritone Alberto Petricca, in his welcome return to the Sferisterio stage in the role of Baron Mirko Zeta.

The festival will continue with a revival of the successful Rigoletto, with young conductor Jordi Bernacer conducting the acclaimed gothic-pop setting of this great operatic classic in an abandoned amusement park, with Ivan Magrì as the Duke of Mantua. Rigoletto will be performed by Nikoloz Lavilava and, on the final date, Damiano Salerno; Gilda will be played by Ruth Iniesta, and Luca Park will be Sparafucile. Next up is Emma Dante's 2019 production of Macbeth, an award-winning production co-produced with the Palermo and Turin theaters. Today, Macbeth returns under the direction of the experienced Fabrizio Maria Carminati and an excellent cast featuring voices of the caliber of Marta Torbidoni, a rising soprano from the Marche region who will debut as Lady Macbeth just days after Norma at La Scala; for the protagonist, the solid baritone Franco Vassallo alternating with the young Korean Leon Kim with a rapid career, then the excellent young tenor Antonio Poli, also in the Sferisterio directly from La Scala.