Overview

The Festival ,which started in 1999 with a short season,has gradually grown in number and importance of the events. Nowadays It has become a real tourist promotion attracting people from different parts of the world . The list of famous international artists who have come and even returned is quite long. At present the Festival is well merged with the town itself and its inhabitants and it is recognized one of the great musical festivals taking place in Italy ,especially during the Summer. Its growing success , notwithstanding the difficulty in any form of cultural events ,proves the appreciation for its formula, where everything, even the small details are planned and achieved with great care and attention. Programmes and artists are chosen according to precise criteria: famous international artists alternate with young artists on the basis of some simple beliefs. This year is the 15th edition of Montecatini Opera Festival. The season covers a period of 7 months, from April to October. All the events are performed in the town most suitable places : the Excelsior (a real architectonic jewel and ideal place to enjoy music as in a late 19th century salon ) and the Tettuccio, a fantastic space, open to the sky, with the same charming atmosphere which inspired the great composers of the past Since 2005 the Festival has had its own orchestra which cooperates with well known artists: This orchestra is formed by musicians ,already playing in important ItalIan orchestras or musicians teaching in conservatories or academies of music. The same orchestra offers different ensembles its repertoire is really large; from baroque music to classicism ,including also the most famous chamber music pages of the 20th century, with particular attention to the Italian Opera, even through the performance of unpublished scores.