Festival Verdi in Georgia
By Mariam Chanishvili
Tuesday, July 9
Giuseppe Verdi, one of the greatest operatic composers from Italy, author of Rigoletto, La Traviata, Don Carlo, and Otello, truly deserves an event dedicated and connected to his name and the Italians know about it.
Festival Verdi is held annually in Parma and Busseto, attracting millions of music lovers from all over the world.
“I due Foscari, Luisa Miller, Aida, Nabucco: these are the great operas, and that will lead the next edition of the Festival Verdi 2019 from September 26 26 to October 20, 2019. In order to celebrate the figure and the works of Giuseppe Verdi, every year around October 10 – date of birth of the great Italian composer – Parma and the lands of Verdi host one of the most prestigious appointments in the international musical panorama, characterized by a vibrant program,” reads the description of Festival Verdi, which will take place in Italy.
As an extraordinary opportunity and honor, two Georgian theatre venues will host the first-ever shows of Italy’s famed Festival Verdi outside the country.
The festival will open with the opera premiere on July 16 – Un Ballo in Maschera, which is one of Verdi’s finest operas of his middle period.
On August 23, Black Sea Arena will host Aida – the grand production of Arena di Verona. On August 25, the Festival will be closed with the gala concert of the famous opera stars.
A press conference on Verdi festival took place on July 5 Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre.
On August 23, 2018, Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Verdi Festival and Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet State Theater. According to the memorandum, Georgia was officially authorized to conduct the Verdi Festival in Tbilisi and different cities. The initiative, which envisages a close cultural relationship between the two countries, is supported by the Italian Senate and the Government.
The Festival is held within the framework of the Check in Georgia project.
An Italian-based mass media company, which is the largest commercial broadcaster in the country - Mediaset S.p.A, which was founded by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in 1987, is the partner of the festival.
Mediaset is planning to cover not only the festival but also the cultural heritage of Georgia as well as historic monuments part of the intangible heritage to demonstrate the unique tourism potential of the country.
Tickets go on sale from July 8 online.
