The 2004 Opera Festival in the Arena di Verona

As is the tradition, the inauguration on Saturday, June 19th, is reserved for an opera with a new stage design which this year will be the opera Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini, 100 years from the first performance.

In the photo: Fiorenza Cedolins

The director and scenographer of the opera will be Franco Zeffirelli, who will return to the Arena after the triumphs of Il Trovatore and Aida which respectively inaugurated the 2001 and 2002 Festivals and who, for the first time in his career, will direct this opera by Puccini.

The costumes are by Emi Wada, who will be make her debut in Italy. She has already been awarded an Oscar for Ran and has worked for a long time with Akira Kurosawa.

Madama Butterfly, which was performed here for the last time in the Arena in 1999, has had up to now 5 editions presented and a total of 43 performances; the Orchestra and Chorus of the Arena will be conducted by Daniel Oren; the soprano Fiorenza Cedolins, the great Aida of last season, will perform the role of Cio-Cio-San; alongside her in the role of Pinkerton will be the tenor Marcello Giordani, while Sharpless will be the baritone Juan Pons. Repeat performances will be on June 25th and July 3rd, 10th, 14th, 17th, 21st and 29th.