La Fenice brings ‘Tosca’ to Shanghai’s new Grand Opera House

Anna Pirozzi, Gregory Kunde and George Gagnidze star in Puccini’s opera as the Venetian company joins the new venue’s inaugural season.

Venice’s Teatro La Fenice will bring its production of Puccini’s Tosca to the newly opened Shanghai Grand Opera House on 22 and 24 October 2026, joining an inaugural season featuring major international opera companies.

Renato Palumbo will conduct La Fenice’s orchestra and chorus in the venue’s Harmony Hall, with Anna Pirozzi as Tosca, Gregory Kunde as Cavaradossi and George Gagnidze as Scarpia. The performances mark the Asian premiere of the company’s staging, directed by Joan Anton Rechi.

The visit follows the opera house’s 17 October inauguration, whose opening concert brought together Shanghai’s musical institutions. La Fenice’s engagement places a complete staged opera at the centre of the new venue’s opening celebrations.

A Venetian production in Shanghai

Rechi’s Tosca, first presented at La Fenice in August 2025, relocates the action from Rome in 1800 to the 1950s. The Shanghai performances introduce the staging to Asian audiences, retaining Puccini’s drama of political repression, jealousy and artistic freedom.

The production features sets by Gabriel Insignares, costumes by Giuseppe Palella and lighting by Andrea Benetello. Elena Pierini prepares the chorus.

A new landmark for opera

Designed by Snøhetta, the Shanghai Grand Opera House combines three auditoriums with a sweeping roofscape conceived as an accessible public space. The project was developed with the East China Architectural Design & Research Institute, Theatre Projects and Nagata Acoustics, following Snøhetta’s winning entry in the 2016 international competition.

Beyond its performance spaces, the building is intended as a civic destination, with its roof offering year-round public access and a connection to the surrounding park.

Its inaugural season runs until 20 February 2027, encompassing 47 productions and 82 performances. Further operatic highlights include the Mariinsky Theatre’s Aida, conducted by Valery Gergiev, from 30 October to 1 November, and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden’s Der Rosenkavalier, conducted by Christian Thielemann, on 8, 10 and 12 November.

The concert programme also includes Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra performing all 15 Shostakovich symphonies, and appearances by Rudolf Buchbinder with the Staatskapelle Berlin and Yuja Wang with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

PH: Yumeng Zhu