Two years ago the season was characterised by a Russian theme. Could you tell us more about it?

It was the last in a three-year cycle where the Teatro Comunale explored different geo-cultural areas. The first had focused on North America with a passionate coast-to-coast journey into the music of United States, in homage of the hundredth anniversary of the birth of John Cage, while the second turned its attention to the British Isles with a cycle dedicated to the music of Benjamin Britten. The third year was dedicated to the music of Russia and the ex-Soviet Union associated with the figure of Dimitri Shostakovich. It also explored the great classics of the Russian symphonic repertoire that is so popular with the public, such as a Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances and the famous Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky. We were able to hear extraordinary examples of music of great intensity by composers such as Edison Denison, Sofia Gubaidulina, Rodion Shchedrin and Vladimir Tarnopolsky alongside less well-known masterpieces such as the Sixth Symphony by Myaskovsky or the Mediaeval Suites by Glazunov and well-known compositions by Stravinsky and Prokofiev. On balance the outcome of these three cycles was overwhelmingly positive, with an enormous expansion in the range of the repertoire of music by great 20th-century composers which is rarely or hardly ever performed in this country.

Will the 2016 season have a special theme?

While the 2016 season does not have one particular theme we will be comparing and examining in depth the works of composers from different periods. For examples there is the “Beethoven – Mahler” cycle which was devised by the Teatro Comunale’s Musical Director Michele Mariotti.

Then from the world of contemporary music there is the “Bologna Modern” cycle. It is the first festival ever put on by an Opera Foundation in our country, and it will examine the language of symphonic music and opera of our times, focusing on the work of composers such as Rihm, Sciarrino, Haas, Unsuk Chin, as well as many composers of the new generation, including the Italians, Casale, Caprioli, Perezzani and Traversa.

Aja Wakizono

And will you be working in collaboration with other international theatres?

The Teatro Comunale works regularly with the principal opera houses and with European and international festivals, putting on important co-productions and collaborations. In the 2016 season we will be staging two co-productions with major European theatres: Luci mie traditrici by Salvatore Sciarrino, which is co-produced with Berlin’s Staatsoper unter den Linden and directed by Jürgen Flimm, as well as Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia, a co-produced with the Greek National Opera of Athens and directed by Francesco Micheli. There is also a special project which involves the Festival of Manchester, a multimedia work by Matthew Barney and Jonathan Bepler entitled “River of Fundament”. This will be an exclusive for Italy. This year the theatre will also be working with Strasbourg’s l’Opéra National du Rhin in the field of dance.

Beatrice Rana

In what way are these collaborations with international theatres important for the future of the Teatro Comunale?

When a season is planned, it must reflect the identity of an opera house and the way it distinguishes itself and defines itself through certain strategic choices on the international stage. In recent years, in Europe we have seen compelling and highly innovative productions of the great opera repertoire, and we have been lucky enough to stage some of these at Bologna’s Teatro Comunale, namely Robert Wilson’s production of Verdi’s Macbeth; Romeo Castellucci’s Parsifal; Alvis Hermanis’ Jenufa by Janáček and Dmitri Bertmann’s Lady Macbeth by Shostakovich, in addition to works by contemporary composers.

The design of the next season aims to stage a number of projects in collaboration or in co-production with major European theatres. We want to offer the public exciting innovative experiences both where it comes to direction and the reinterpretation of the great operatic repertoire. It will also feature advanced productions from the contemporary field, which manage to keep staging costs down, as well as increasing the theatre’s artistic development through foreign tours. It is fundamental for this theatre to show its worth among the network of great European opera houses and principal international institutions.

Season 2016 Teatro Comunale of Bologna