From Wagner and Mozart to Ronchetti and D’Amico, the new season at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma presents a wide-ranging operatic program that blends tradition with experimentation, celebrates major anniversaries, and strengthens the institution’s community-oriented mission.
The 2025–26 season of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma opens on 27 November with a long-awaited return of Wagner’s Lohengrin, absent from the house for 50 years. The production marks a triple debut: Michele Mariotti’s first Wagner opera at the podium, Damiano Michieletto’s first staging of the work, and tenor Dmitry Korchak’s first time in the title role. Jennifer Holloway (Elsa), Ekaterina Gubanova (Ortrud), and Tómas Tómasson (Telramund) round out the cast. The production, shared with the Palau de les Arts in Valencia and La Fenice in Venice, will be broadcast live by Rai Cultura.
Among the season’s highlights is Roméo et Juliette by Gounod, being staged for the first time at the Roman house. Directed by Luca De Fusco, this new production features Vittorio Grigolo and Nino Machaidze in the title roles, with Daniel Oren conducting. A secondary cast includes Vannina Santoni and Duke Kim.
Also new to the theatre is Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno by Handel, in a staging by Robert Carsen inspired by television talent shows. Gianluca Capuano conducts a cast led by Johanna Wallroth, Ed Lyon, Anna Bonitatibus, and Raffaele Pe.
Lucia Ronchetti’s Inferno, inspired by Dante and with an epilogue by Tiziano Scarpa, will be presented in its first staged version following its concert debut in Frankfurt in 2021. David Hermann directs, with Tito Ceccherini on the podium and Laura Catrani and the Neue Vocalsolisten among the performers.
After a 35-year absence, Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos returns under the baton of Maxime Pascal. Hermann also stages this production, originally created for Semperoper Dresden. The cast includes Axelle Fanyo, Tuomas Katajala, Ziyi Dai, and Angela Brower.
Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, in Claus Guth’s acclaimed Salzburg production, receives its Italian premiere with a double cast including Erwin Schrott, Alessio Arduini, Roberta Mantegna, and Federica Guida. Emmanuel Tjeknavorian makes his operatic debut at the podium.
The season also sees the return of Tancredi, directed by Emma Dante and conducted by Michele Mariotti. Countertenor Carlo Vistoli sings the title role, joined by Hasmik Torosyan, Enea Scala, and Luca Tittoto. This production will also be broadcast by Rai.
Verdi’s Falstaff will close the season in a new staging by Tatjana Gürbaca, marking her Italian debut. Mariotti conducts a cast led by Luca Salsi, with Maria Agresta, George Petean, and Violeta Urmana.
Another notable event is the return of La traviata in Sofia Coppola’s production with costumes by Valentino, conducted by Francesco Ivan Ciampa. The role of Violetta will be shared by Ermonela Jaho, Nadine Sierra, and Ekaterina Bakanova, with Alfredo sung by Dmitry Korchak, Xabier Anduaga, and Antonio Poli.
A special performance of Tosca will be presented on 1 November 2025, marking the 125th anniversary of the opera. The staging reconstructs the original 1900 production, with Daniel Oren conducting and Eleonora Buratto, Jonathan Tetelman, and Luca Salsi in the leading roles. The performance will be broadcast live on Rai 3.
The season also includes four orchestral concerts, three conducted by Mariotti, and one featuring baroque music at the Costanzi. The Teatro Nazionale will host additional contemporary opera and drama productions, including premieres of works by Hans Werner Henze and Matteo D’Amico.
Finally, the company will maintain its outreach efforts through OperaCamion, Linea Opera, and other projects designed to bring opera to schools, communities, and public spaces across Rome.
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