by Guisela Chiarella
Interview: Theater Verdi’s superintendent, Giuliano Polo; Artistic director, Paolo Rodda
The Fondazione Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi has unveiled its 2025–2026 opera and ballet season, offering a balanced program of timeless masterpieces and innovative choreography that underscores the house’s continued commitment to artistic excellence and cultural heritage.
The season opens in late November with a new staging of Gioachino Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, under the baton of conductor Enrico Calesso and in a production directed, designed, and costumed by Pier Luigi Pizzi. This fresh interpretation by the veteran Italian director marks a notable addition to the Verdi Theater’s repertoire. Performances will take place on November 28 and 30, and December 5, 7, 11, and 13.
The cast features baritone Alessandro Luongo as Figaro, joined by Annalisa Stroppa as Rosina and Marco Ciaponi as Count Almaviva. Marco Filippo Romano takes on the role of Bartolo.
Running concurrently is Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, also conducted by Calesso and staged by Pizzi. This new production, scheduled for November 29 and December 4, 6, 10, 12, and 14, showcases an international ensemble led by Simone Alberghini in the title role, with Carolina Lippo as Susanna, Giorgio Caoduro as Count Almaviva, Ekaterina Bakanova as the Countess, and Anna Maria Chiuri as Marcellina.
In January 2026, the Verdi Theater will shift focus from opera to ballet with a four-part evening of modern and neoclassical works. The program, running January 9–13, includes La Rose Malade and Le Combat des Anges from Roland Petit’s Proust, ou Les Intermittences du Cœur, both set to music by Gustav Mahler and Gabriel Fauré, respectively.
Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour, set to compositions by Ezio Bosso and Antonio Vivaldi, brings contemporary lyricism to the stage, while the program concludes with Boléro, choreographed by Krzysztof Pastor to Maurice Ravel’s iconic score.
This season’s lineup reflects a dual reverence for the canon and an openness to reinvention, positioning Trieste’s opera house as a regional hub for both tradition and innovation.
