»La Gioconda« at the 24 Salzburg Easter Festival: Antonio Pappano, Oliver Mears, Philipp Fürhofer

The Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia from Rome, together with its long-standing Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano, will open the Easter Festival with a new production of Amilcare Ponchielli’s rarely performed opera »La Gioconda«. The principal roles will be sung by Anna Netrebko and Jonas Kaufmann. Antonio Pappano is the Chief Conductor of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia from 2005 to 2023. He is returning to Salzburg in 2024 to conduct Amilcare Ponchielli’s »La Gioconda« at the Easter Festival, a work that has never before been performed here. The British director Oliver Mears (currently the Director of Opera at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden) will direct this story about the unhappy love affair of a ballad singer. The German visual artist Philipp Fürhofer will design the sets. Anna Netrebko will make her long-awaited debut at the Easter Festival in the title role, after her planned debut in »Turandot« was cancelled in 2021 when the Easter Festival fell foul of the pandemic. Jonas Kaufmann will sing alongside her in the role of Enzo Grimaldo. He made his debut at the Easter Festival in 2012 in »Carmen«, subsequently sang in »Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci« in 2015 and »Tannhäuser« in 2023. For Anna Netrebko, this new production will also mark her debut in the role. The cast will also feature Agnieszka Rehlis (La Cieca), Eve-Maud Hubeaux (Laura), Tareq Nazmi (Alvise Badoero) and Luca Salsi (Barnaba).