The Festival of Two Worlds of Spoleto will be held from June 29 to July 15 this year.
In its 61st edition, the Festival confirms its original features and its international prestige. A historic meeting place among different cultures, it offers a showcase of excellence for the great artists and emerging artists and is the promoter of new creations.
The Festival opens with the new production of the Minotaur, grand opera in 10 scenes, commissioned to composer Silvia Colasanti. The conductor of the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, is the Maestro Jonathan Webb.
Another Festival production is the dramatic oratorio Jeanne d´Arc au Bûcher/Joan of Arc at the Stake by Arthur Honegger and Paul Claudel, which closes the event in Piazza Duomo, and will have Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as its protagonist. The Opera, directed by Benoît Jacquot, is conducted by Jérémie Rhorer at the head of the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, with the Choir of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia and the Children’s Choir.
The Noontime concerts will be performed by young talents from the major Italian conservatories and winners of the National Prize of Arts.
The evening concerts will be performed by the Conservatory "Francesco Morlacchi" in Perugia.
An international co-production, with the contribution of the Festival of Spoleto, will perform the new version of The Beggar´s Opera by John Gay and Johann Christoph Pepusch, with the musical conception of William Christie and director Robert Carsen.
Dance is represented by choreographers Lucinda Childs, Jean-Claude Gallotta and John Neumeier.
For the Theater Section, the participants, amongst others, are Adriana Asti, Corrado Augias, Alessandro Baricco, Franco Branciaroli, Lucia Calamaro, Romeo Castellucci, Victoria Chaplin Thierrée and Aurélia Thierrée, Rezo Gabriadze, Emilio Gentile, Marco Tullio Giordana, Manuela Kustermann, Silvio Orlando, Ugo Pagliai, Massimo Popolizio, Letizia Renzini, Daniele Salvo.
The decade collaboration with the National Academy of Dramatic Arts "Silvio D´Amico" continues as with the main schools of European theater with the project "European Young Theatre", a large school of creativity, for the future protagonists of theater in Italy and in the world.
The collaboration of the Festival with Italian and foreign art institutions also continues: the Fondazione Teatro Coccia of Novara, the Ravenna Festival, the Metastasio Theater of Prato, the Naples Theater Festival, the Emilia Romagna Theater, the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, the Festival Internacional de Musica de Cartagena, the Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre of Russia.
Furthermore, as a result of the protocol agreement signed in 2017 with the Bureau for External Cultural Relations Ministry of Culture, People´s Republic of China, there are co-production projects for 2019 to be defined .
The "pop" space that the Festival offers its audience is entrusted to Francesco De Gregori this year.
The Foundation Carla Fendi, presided by Maria Teresa Venturini Fendi, opens to Science and presents an exhibition of historical-scientific nature entitled The Mystery of the Origin. Myths, Transfigurations and Science.
The Carla Fendi Prize will go to Peter Higgs and François Englert, winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics 2013 and Fabiola Gianotti, particle physicist, Director of the European Center for Nuclear Research in Geneva.
The poster of the 61st edition is by Fabrizio Ferri, among the most known and appreciated photographers in the world.
For ten years under the guidance of Giorgio Ferrara, the Festival of Spoleto has grown progressively, counting 90,000 presences in 2017. There has also been consolidated attention on the part of the institutions, artists, cultural operators, businesses and the media, that have contributed to the success of this event of global resonance and an appointment not to be missed.
"The Festival of Two Worlds of Spoleto has crossed the threshold of 60 and now lives in a phase of a new splendour, confirmed by qualitative results and numbers of great satisfaction. A challenge met, that makes us look at the three-year period that is about to begin with ever greater confidence and encourages us to continue our journey in the Arts with the awareness of those who believe in the courage and effectiveness of culture."(G.F.)
The Festival of Spoleto has the support of the Ministry of Cultural Assets and Activities and Tourism, Region of Umbria, the town of Spoleto, Foundation Carla Fendi, Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Spoleto, Banca Popolare di Spoleto for group Banco Desio, Intesa SanPaolo, Monini, Fabiana Filippi, Enel - new sponsor this year - and many others.
The Rai renews the agreement of mediapartnership, reserving a specific programming to the Festival on Rai Culture, RaiNews24, RaiRadio 3 and Rai Play, besides the portal www.rainews.it, with daily connections live, interviews and services, and the creation of a commercial that will be broadcast on the main TV channels. The daily newspaper La Repubblica will be a media partner again, this year, to support and give space to the cultural vein expressed by the Festival. Il Messaggero is also back in support of the Festival which will ensure coverage on the web and social network. The cooperation with the Corriere della Sera that hosts the communication of the event on its pages continues as well.
AGENDA