Festival Verdi in Georgia
By Mariam Chanishvili
Tuesday, August 20
Verdi Festival, held annually in Parma and Busseto, attracts millions of people from all over the world.
For the first time this year, the Verdi Festival takes place in Georgia, which is an unprecedented event.
On August 23, 2018, the Verdi Festival and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theater signed a three-year cooperation memorandum. According to the memorandum, the theater was granted the exclusive right to hold the Verdi Festival. The initiative, which seeks close cultural cooperation between the two countries, is backed by the Italian Senate and the government.
The festival is supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia under the program "Georgia, Europe."
Un Ballo in Maschera –Teatro Regio di Parma Production, the premiere took place at the Tbilisi Opera House on August 16. Un Ballo in Maschera is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five-act opera, Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué
On August 23, the Black Sea Arena will host a performance of Aida, by Arena di Verona Production, conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi. Participants include Susanna Branchini, Daniela Barcellona, Sergio Escobar, Gabriele Viviani, George Andguladze, Deyan Vatchkov, Gonca Dogan, Filippo Micale, Tbilisi Z. Paliashvili Opera and Ballet State Theatre Chorus and Orchestra
On August 25 – Opera Gala will take place at Black Sea Arena as well as a final event.
Tickets are available in the box office of the Theatre and online on TKT.GE and BILETEBI.GE
Partner of the festival is Europe's largest private media company Mediaset S.p.A (owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi), which broadcasts in fifteen European countries. Various award-winning film crews are in Georgia with full technical equipment and ensure festival and country coverage following the highest standards.
Mediaset will cover not only the festival but also Georgia's cultural heritage, both historical monuments, and intangible heritage masterpieces, to maximize our country's unique tourism potential. The project, which aims to become a regional center of Georgian culture, will promote the development of cultural tourism in the country, popularization of Georgia as a tourist destination in the world, popularization of the Black Sea Arena, and will enable classical music lovers to see high-quality products from leading theaters in the world.
In 2017 the Festival Verdi won the Award as the Best Festival in the world at the International Opera Awards. A great success for the Festival Verdi along with the nomination in the “New Production” category for Stiffelio with the direction of Graham Vick and “Young singer” category for Isabella Lee, winner of the International Voices Competition Verdiane City of Busseto, Violetta in Traviata at the Giuseppe Verdi Theater in Busseto.
This year, from September 26 to October 20, 2019, in Parma and Busseto, 4 operas, 4 premieres in 4 consecutive days with 3 new productions will take place in 3 different locations in Parma and Busseto.
