Indeed, the cast lists for the 2025 season have already been announced. Featured at the 71st edition of the Puccini Festival 2025, five of the composer’s greatest works will take center stage and create a major event. From July 18 to September 6, 2025, festivalgoers will have the opportunity to attend performances of Tosca (July 18, August 1, 9, and 29), Turandot (July 25, August 2, 14, 22, and September 5), La Bohème (July 19, 26, and August 7), Madama Butterfly (August 8 and 23), and finally Manon Lescaut (August 30 and September 6).

This array of masterpieces is complemented in the middle of the Puccini Festival by a gala recital on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, featuring Anna Netrebko, the greatest star among sopranos, accompanied by tenor Martin Muehle, as she announced on her personal website. Alongside the great diva, there are numerous exceptional performances.

The Gran Teatro all’Aperto, located on the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli, where Giacomo Puccini once owned a villa, will welcome Roberto Alagna as Mario Cavaradossi, who will sacrifice himself in vain to save his wife Tosca—played by the stunning Aleksandra Kurzak—from the clutches of the dreadful Baron Scarpia, portrayed by Luca Salsi. Other artists will also take part in Tosca, conducted by Giorgio Croci, including Valentina Boi, Carmen Giannattasio, and Eleonora Buratto, who will share the role of Floria Tosca, while Francesco Meli and Michael Fabiano will alternate as Mario Cavaradossi.

La Bohème, in Ettore Scola’s staging, also boasts an outstanding cast, notably featuring Nino Machaidze, Sara Branch, Vittorio Grigolo, and Vittorio Prato in the leading roles. During the Puccini Festival 2025, Madama Butterfly will stand out for the performance of soprano Maria Agresta, who is highly anticipated in the role.

Another highly acclaimed soprano in Italy, María José Siri, will portray Manon Lescaut, alongside Luciano Ganci as Des Grieux and Claudio Sgura as Lescaut.

The greatest voices of the opera scene will also be featured in Turandot, conducted by Renato Palombo. Indeed, the icy princess will be portrayed by the impressive Anna Pirozzi, opposite the equally grandiose tenor Gregory Kunde. Another well-known tenor, Yusif Eyvazov, will also take on the role of Calaf, while Olga Maslova will perform as Turandot, and Rosa Feola will sing Liù for one performance. Torre del Lago, where Giacomo Puccini was laid to rest in 1926, can take pride in hosting a remarkable edition of its Puccini Festival 2025.

To book your tickets for the Puccini’s Festival click here!

Affiche festival Puccini 2025 & Roberto Alagna avec Aleksandra Kurzak – c – Festival Puccini Website/Gregor Hohenberg

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He left an indelible mark on the world of opera with his remarkable productions, which have been performed across the global opera stage. The Met Opera in New York fondly remembers his grand Wagner productions, just as the Wiener Staatsoper continues to preserve his legacy.

This season, in addition to the recordings made freely available on the Austrian opera’s website, audiences can experience his stagings of Fidelio by Beethoven in February 2025 (featuring Michael Spyres and Bryn Terfel), L’elisir d’amore by Donizetti in March (with Nadine Sierra and Xabier Anduaga), Andrea Chénier by Giordano in April (starring Michael Fabiano, Sonya Yoncheva, and Luca Salsi), and finally, arguably his greatest masterpiece, Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss in June (with Lise Davidsen, Emily D’Angelo, and Sabine Devieilhe). Another iconic production, J. Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus, has returned annually every December since 1979.

To see Otto Schenk’s productions at the Wierner Staatsoper, click here!

Der Rosenkavalier – c – Wiener Staatsoper / Michael Poehn

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For once, unusually so early in the season, the Verona Arena Festival has unveiled the casts of the five operas scheduled this summer (Aida, Carmen, Nabucco, Rigoletto, and La Traviata). From June 13 to September 6, 2025, on one of the world’s largest opera stages, a parade of superstars is expected.

In addition to Jonas Kaufmann, announced for a recital, Anna Netrebko returns in Aida and also in Nabucco, where Anna Pirozzi, another great Abigaille, will also perform. Marina Rebeka, a star soprano, will make her Verona debut in Aida, alongside Angel Blue (Traviata) and Pene Pati (Rigoletto).

Familiar faces are returning, including Nadine Sierra, Piotr Beczała, Gregory Kunde, Amartuvshin Enkhbat (in Rigoletto, Nabucco, Aida, and Traviata), Ludovic Tézier (as Giorgio Germont and Amonasro), Luca Salsi, Erwin Schrott, as well as Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna. The renowned couple will feature in Aida and Carmen, where audiences will also delight in seeing Anita Rachvelishvili and rising star Aigul Akhmetshina. Bookings are already open, and with such treasures on display, some performances will undoubtedly be more sought-after than others…

To book your tickets for the Verona Arena Festival

Verona Arena (c) Gianfranco Fainello

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