Verdi's Attila is on stage at La Fenice in Venice in the new production by Leo Muscato, conducted by Sebastiano Rolli

The La Fenice Theater in Venice presents a new exhibition of Attila, ninth work of Giuseppe Verdi and second among those written for the Venetian theatre. The direction is entrusted to Leo Muscato, with scenes signed by Federica Parolini, costumes of Silvia Aymonino and lights of Alessandro Verazzi. The musical direction is by Sebastiano Rolli, among the most promising names of the new generation of Verdi interpreters, leading a cast that features the bass Michele Pertusi in the eponymous role, the soprano Anastasia Bartoli in that of Odabella, the baritone Vladimir Stoyanov in the role of the Roman general Ezio, and the tenor Antonio Poli like Foresto. Completing the cast Andrea Schifaudo in the guise of Uldino and  Francesco Milanese in that of Leo. Choir Master is Alfonso Caiani. The opera will be on stage for five performances, from 16th to May 24, 2025, within the 2024–2025 Opera and Ballet Season of the Fondazione Teatro La Fenice.

Attila, lyrical drama in a prologue and three acts, debuted at the Fenice on March 17 1846. The libretto, written by Temistocle Solera and Francesco Maria Piave, is inspired by the tragedy Attila, König der Hunnen (1808) by Zacharias Werner, and gave life to one of Verdi's titles that symbolizes the so-called "patriotic opera" of the Risorgimento. The Venetian 'premiere' did not achieve the expected success, due to an inadequate cast, but the opera nevertheless landed on the billboards of the most prestigious theaters, five years after the premiere, also in Venice, of Rigoletto. The new production allows the Venetian theater to retrace an important chapter in its history and, at the same time, to give the public back an opera that also speaks of the legendary origins of the city. The prologue is set in the 5th century, at the time of the invasion of the Huns, and tells of the landing of the Aquileian refugees on the shores of Rio-Alto, in the "Adriatic Lagoons" - a narrative long considered foundational for Venice, even if later denied by archaeological studies. A discovery that, however, does not affect the theatrical value of Verdi's masterpiece, in which historical verisimilitude gives way to the evocative power of the images and to scenic realism, an increasingly central feature of nineteenth-century melodrama.

«Looking at the work, – explainable director Leo Muscato – it is not the birth of something that is told, but its end: the end of a world, the end of an order, the end of every certainty. Attila releases a sense of devastation everywhere: Verdi builds the score on minor keys, deep orchestral timbres, a dense and oppressive sound that never allows true spaces of light. From a dramaturgical point of view, it is a world without positive heroes and without the possibility of redemption: even the characters who should represent 'civilization' are prey to betrayal, obsession and corruption. It is no coincidence that Attila begins and ends in chaos, without ever finding a true balance. There is no catharsis. There is no rebirth that repairs the ruin: there is only a fragile survival, an escape towards something new that remains to be invented. In Attila, the entire world has collapsed, and Verdi's music does not try to console us. Fortunately, in many moments, it is simply beautiful.