Hospitality Awards 2023 | 17 Also in 1913, the Fondazione Arena di Verona Chorus its opera performances in the amphitheatre. As of May 2023, the Chorus has been prepared by Roberto Gabbiani. The Arena beautifully captures the large-scale choral works and impressive vocal mass of the chorus, never failing to rouse standing ovations from the captivated public. The Arena has held many memorable concerts: Verdi's Messa da Requiem, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust, and Perosi's La Resurrezione di Cristo. The Chorus supports the Fondazione Arena Orchestra in the winter opera and symphonic seasons at the Teatro Filarmonico. The Arena di Verona Opera Festival has this year commemorated its 100th edition of the festival which featured eight beloved operas, four gala evenings and an extraordinary symphony concert featuring the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Riccardo Chailly. From the 16th of June to 9th of September 2023, the grand stage hosted 49 exceptional performances and boosted a plethora of renowned artists. Reflecting on the Festival’s centennial celebration, Cecilia Gasdia, General Manager and Artistic Director of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, said, “We worked tirelessly alongside our team of offices, artistic talents, and technical staff to bring a summer filled with art, music, and beauty. The creative journey was the culmination of five years of hard work and evoked a sense of exhilarating creativity. Music has always been an important part of my life, initially as a pianist and later as an opera singer. It brought me immense joy and emotion to witness Verona, my beloved city, coming to life as a magnet for the finest voices in the world.” To celebrate this year’s Festival, the Fondazione Arena di Verona and Müller presented a brand-new accessibility project, Arena per Tutti. The objective of the project was to bring the joy of the opera to everyone with accessible trailers, digital programmes, multisensory experiences, and an additional 1500 tickets provided for individuals with disabilities. Over ten spectacular opera evenings, tailored support and accommodations were on offer to enhance the Arena with immersive multisensory experiences. Multisensory tours were offered where guests were accompanied onto the stage to admire the stage sets, costumes, and props. Each performance was accompanied by an accessible trailer that offered Italian and English subtitles, voice-over, sign language translations, and audio descriptions. The centennial celebrations commenced with one of the most anticipated events of the season, a new production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida. The opening night started with the Chorus, dressed in the colours of the Italian flag, sang the national anthem as ‘Frecce Tricolori’ planes flew overhead. Stefano Poda’s Aida featured grandiose, avant-garde staging, completed with an enormous wire hand towering over the stage, representing the power that humanity holds to create and destroy. Anna Netrebko returned in the title role of Aida, bringing her sensitive, soprano tone and a rarely seen physicality to the performance. In some instances, she faced away from the audience and demonstrated the full power of her voice, which projected effortlessly into the space. Aida has been described by attendees as an unforgettable evening, with Anna Netrebko’s passionate performance proving why she remains one of opera’s greatest artists. Audiences also had the opportunity to enjoy six historic productions that have each left an enduring mark on the Arena Festival’s history. These included Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Puccini’s Tosca, Verdi’s Nabucco, Bizet’s Carmen, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Verdi’s La Traviata. Alongside a new production of Rigoletto by Antonio Albanese. The La Traviata, with La Scala’s principal dancers, Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko, in the first and last performances, was reviewed as monumentally spectacular and a highlight of the year’s festival. The Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2024 will pay homage to Giacomo Puccini, one of the world’s best-known and most performed opera composers, on the centenary of his death. The Arena di Verona will open the 101st festival with Turandot, a spectacular, whimsical work that will feature Franco Zeffirelli’s beautiful sets and costumes by Oscar winner Emi Wada. There will also be a revival of Puccini’s Tosca, which will star Anna Netrebko, and a new, special project, La Bohème, fourteen years after its last performance in the Arena. With the unique performances of the 2023 Festival alive in the minds of spectators, we are excited to see what the Fondazione Arena di Verona will deliver in the next century of captivating theatre, performance art, and music. For its tireless and ground-breaking creative work during the Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2023, the Fondazione Arena di Verona has been honoured with this year’s award for Best Exclusive Cultural Experience – Italy. Company: Fondazione Arena di Verona Web Address: https://www.arena.it/ Circle image credit: © Foto Ennevi/Fondazione Arena di Verona Juan Diego Flórez: © Gregor Hohenberg Sony Music Entertainment
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