Italy’s opera houses unveil unmissable 2026 lineup

Wagner, operas staged for the first time, and indispensable classics with prestigious productions, a strong focus on Baroque music in response to growing audience interest, excursions into the 20th century, and attention to contemporary composers.

The 2026 season of Italy’s major opera houses promises to be rich in ideas and unmissable events, CE Report quotes ANSA.

At La Scala in Milan, the new year opens on February 1 under the sign of Richard Wagner with Götterdämmerung, the final chapter of the Ring cycle, directed by Sir David McVicar, with Alexander Soddy alternating on the podium with conductor Simone Young. In March, the entire cycle will be performed with Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and again Götterdämmerung.

Highlights of the program include the revival of Turandot directed by Davide Livermore and conducted by Nicola Luisotti; Pelléas et Mélisande by Debussy conducted by Maxime Pascal, marking Romeo Castellucci’s debut as a director at La Scala; and Nabucco conducted by Riccardo Chailly with Anna Netrebko, Luca Salsi, Michele Pertusi, and Francesco Meli, staged by Alessandro Talevi.

Myung-Whun Chung, who will become music director next season, will conduct a new Carmen in June, directed by Damiano Michieletto.

At the Rome Opera House, after the season opened with Wagner’s Lohengrin, a major novelty arrives on February 19 with the world premiere at the Teatro Costanzi of a new version of Inferno by Lucia Ronchetti, directed by David Hermann and conducted by Tito Ceccherini. Vittorio Grigolo and Georgian soprano Nino Machaidze will star in Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod, appearing for the first time in Rome from April 28, conducted by Daniel Oren and directed by Luca De Fusco. Another debut is expected on October 11 with Verdi’s Falstaff, directed by Tatjana Gürbaca and conducted by Michele Mariotti, with Luca Salsi in the title role.

In Rome, Wagner in staged form will also be central to the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia: following Die Walküre conducted by Daniel Harding, the complete Ring will continue with one opera per year, starting with Siegfried to open the 2026–2027 season, again directed by Vincent Huguet with designs by Pierre Yovanovitch.

La Fenice in Venice, amid ongoing controversy over the appointment of Beatrice Venezi as music director, will open on January 23 with Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, conducted by Renato Palumbo and directed by Luca Micheletti. The season continues with La Traviata directed by Robert Carsen; Vivaldi’s Baroque opera Ottone in Villa; Lohengrin, co-produced with the Rome Opera and directed by Damiano Michieletto; Carmen directed by Calixto Bieito; contemporary music in June with Salvatore Sciarrino’s Venere e Adone; and in October, the double bill The Telephone and Trouble in Tahiti by Menotti and Bernstein.

The summer season at the Arena di Verona will focus on Verdi and Puccini, with La Traviata, two versions of Aida (a modern staging by Stefano Poda and the historic Franco Zeffirelli production), Nabucco, La Bohème, and Turandot in Zeffirelli’s staging.

At the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, highlights include Nabucco, Falstaff, Lucia di Lammermoor, Werther starring Jonas Kaufmann, Adriana Lecouvreur, Turandot, a concert version of Aida with Anna Netrebko and Jonas Kaufmann, Mozart’s Mitridate, re di Ponto, Handel’s Alcina, and Rossini’s La Cenerentola.

As reported by CE Report, at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the season includes Dido and Aeneas, Rossini’s Semiramide staged for the first time, Donizetti’s comic opera Le convenienze e inconvenienze teatrali, the return of Aida after 13 years, Cavalleria rusticana, and a season finale with Rigoletto directed by John Turturro.