La Scala presents its Opera Season 2025-2026
The Opera Season 2025-2026 opens with a harsh, stark opera that “assaults the viewer, tightening them in a knot of violence and despair”. Written by Shostakovich in 1934 and inspired by Leskov’s famous novella, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk prompted the censorship of Pravda two years after its debut, possibly following the will of Stalin, transforming it into a manifesto not only of the female condition but also of the freedom of art in the face of power.
Fifty years after the composer’s death, Riccardo Chailly brings the opera to the stage on 7 December in a production directed by Vasily Barkhatov. An unusual and courageous opening to the season as the event is always broadcast live on Italy’s number one channel, RAI1.
The new season features Der Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Alexander Soddy and Simone Young. David McVicar is the director.
In April 2026, the theatre celebrates the centenary of the world premiere of Turandot, which took place at La Scala under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. The opera will be conducted by Nicola Luisotti in the production created by Davide Livermore in 2024 to mark the composer’s centenary.
An eagerly anticipated debut is that of Romeo Castellucci, one of Europe’s finest directors, who brings Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande to La Scala. Conducting will be Maxime Pascal, a representative of the new generation of French conductors, making his third appearance at La Scala.
Alessandro Talevi makes his first appearance at La Scala for a new production of Nabucodonosor, with Music Director Riccardo Chailly on the podium, and Anna Netrebko and Luca Salsi in the cast.
Myung-Whun Chung returns for the first time since his appointment as Chailly’s successor as Music Director, conducting Carmen, a title he has not conducted at La Scala, in a new staging by Damiano Michieletto – it is a coproduction with Covent Garden and the Teatro Real in Madrid.
The final new production of the Season is Gounod’s Faust, with debuting director Johannes Erath, Marina Rebeka and Vittorio Grigolo on stage, and the return after twelve years of one of Italy’s most acclaimed conductors, Daniele Rustioni.
The revivals are all dedicated to great titles of the Italian opera repertoire: in addition to Turandot, Lucia di Lammermoor conducted by Speranza Scappucci with Rosa Feola in the title role in Yannis Kokkos’s elegant staging, and the celebrated La traviata, directed by Liliana Cavani, with Nadine Sierra and conducted by Michele Gamba. The Season also includes the new production of L’elisir d’amore for the Accademia Project, featuring two other important debuts: forty-year-old Marco Alibrando on the podium and Maria Mauti as stage director.
Opera Season 2025-26
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
From 7 to 30 December 2025 (preview for Under30s 4 December)
Conductor RICCARDO CHAILLY
Staging VASILY BARKHATOV
Sets ZINOVY MARGOLIN
Costumes OLGA SHAISHMELASHVILI
Lights ALEXANDER SIVAEV
Cast
Boris Timofeyevich Izmaylov Alexander Roslavets
Katerina L’vovna Izmaylova Sara Jakubiak
Sergey Najmiddin Mavlyanov
Zadripanniy Mujichonka Shabby Peasant Alexander Kravets
Svyashchennik Priest Valery Gilmanov
Zinovy Borisovich Izmaylov Yevgeny Akimov
Chasovoy Steward Jirí Rajniš
Pristav Chief of Police Oleg Budaratskiy
Aksin’ya Ekaterina Sannikova
Stariy Katorjnik Old Convict Goderedzi Janelidze
Sonetka Elena Maximova
Katorjnitsa Woman Convict Natalya Romaniw
Gorodovoy Policeman Huanhong Li
Uchitel Teacher Vasyl Solodkyy
On the 50th anniversary of Shostakovich’s death, La Scala opens the Season with his masterpiece Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, based on the novella by Nikolai Leskov. In the story, a young wife, with the help of her lover, murders her husband and her father-in-law, but is eventually discovered and ends up committing suicide in Siberia, betrayed by everyone. After its premiere in St. Petersburg, the opera – which was intended to be the first part of a trilogy on women’s condition in Russia – enjoyed great success at home and abroad. Stalin attended a performance in Moscow in 1936; two days later, the famous denunciation titled “Chaos Instead of Music” appeared in Pravda, through which the regime blacklisted the opera and its composer. Years later, Shostakovich prepared a new version that was staged in Moscow in 1963 under the title Katerina Izmailova, after Superintendent Ghiringhelli had unsuccessfully tried to secure its premiere for La Scala. Today, the theatre presents the original 1934 version, conducted by M° Chailly and the debut of director Barkhatov.
Götterdämmerung
From 1 to 17 February 2026
Conductor (1, 4, 8 Feb.) ALEXANDER SODDY
Conductor (12, 17 Feb.) SIMONE YOUNG
Staging DAVID MCVICAR
Sets DAVID MCVICAR & HANNAH POSTLETHWAITE
Costumes EMMA KINGSBURY
Lights DAVID FINN
Videos and projections KATY TUCKER
Choreographies GARETH MOLE
Master martial arts / circus performance DAVID GREEVES
Cast
Siegfried Klaus Florian Vogt
Hagen Günther Groissböck
Gunther Russell Braun
Alberich Johannes Martin Kränzle
Brünnhilde Camilla Nylund
Gutrune/Terza Norna Olga Bezsmertna
Seconda Norna Szilvia Vörös
Waltraute Nina Stemme
Woglinde Lea-ann Dunbar
Wellgunde Svetlina Stoyanova
Flosshilde Virginie Verrez
Prima Norna Christa Mayer
Götterdämmerung marks the final day of The Ring of the Nibelung, preceding the full performance of two complete cycles of the Tetralogy. With it, Sir David McVicar’s directorial vision reaches completion—a vision that brings the Ring back to its mythical foundations and narrative clarity, firmly establishing it as a cornerstone of the Western canon. Ancient tragedy, Baroque theatre, and Elizabethan drama converge in an interpretation that identifies two episodes of comedy—Das Rheingold and Siegfried—and two deep dives into tragedy— Die Walküre and especially Götterdämmerung, which culminates in catastrophe. Returning in the leading roles are Camilla Nylund, Klaus Florian Vogt, and Günther Groissböck.
Das Rheingold (Der Ring des Nibelungen)
From 1 to 10 March 2026
Conductor (1 March) ALEXANDER SODDY
Conductor (10 March) SIMONE YOUNG
Staging DAVID MCVICAR
Sets DAVID MCVICAR & HANNAH POSTLETHWAITE
Costumes EMMA KINGSBURY
Lights DAVID FINN
Videos and projections KATY TUCKER
Choreographies GARETH MOLE
Master martial arts / circus performance DAVID GREEVES
Cast
Wotan Michael Volle
Donner Andrè Schuen
Froh Siyabonga Maqungo
Loge Norbert Ernst
Alberich Ólafur Sigurdarson
Mime Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke
Fasolt Jongmin Park
Fafner Ain Anger
Fricka Okka von der Damerau
Freia Olga Bezsmertna
Erda Christa Mayer
Woglinde Polina Pastirchak
Wellgunde Svetlina Stoyanova
Flosshilde Virginie Verrez
After ten years, Teatro alla Scala presented a new production of Der Ring des Nibelungen in the autumn of 2024, conducted by Simone Young and Alexander Soddy, who join the ranks of great maestros such as Toscanini, De Sabata, Krauss, Furtwängler, Cluytens, Muti, and Barenboim. The production is directed by David McVicar, one of the most respected figures on the international opera scene, who has been acclaimed at La Scala for his work across a wide repertoire, from Cavalli to Berlioz, Cilea, and Verdi. The prestigious cast is led by baritone Michael Volle, who will perform the role of Wotan throughout the entire cycle.
Die Walküre (Der Ring des Nibelungen)
From 3 to 11 March 2026
Conductor (3 March) ALEXANDER SODDY
Conductor (11 March) SIMONE YOUNG
Staging DAVID MCVICAR
Sets DAVID MCVICAR & HANNAH POSTLETHWAITE
Costumes EMMA KINGSBURY
Lights DAVID FINN
Videos and projections KATY TUCKER
Choreographies GARETH MOLE
Master martial arts / circus performance DAVID GREEVES
Cast
Siegmund Stanislas de Barbeyrac
Hunding Günther Groissböck
Wotan Michael Volle
Sieglinde Elza van den Heever
Brünnhilde Camilla Nylund
Fricka Okka von der Damerau
Gerhilde Caroline Wenborne
Ortlinde Olga Bezsmertna
Waltraute Catherine Carby
Schwertleite Freya Apffelstaedt
Helmvige Kathleen O’Mara
Siegrune Virginie Verrez
Grimgerde Eglė Wyss
Rossweisse Eva Vogel
The first day of the Ring des Nibelungen presents what is unquestionably the most popular of Wagner’s works among Italian audiences: Die Walküre. The sword drawn from the trunk of the ash tree, the incestuous love between Siegmund and Sieglinde, the ride of the Valkyries, the disobedience of Brünnhilde, and the enchanted circle of fire are quintessential archetypes of imagination that transcend music and theatre.
Siegfried (Der Ring des Nibelungen)
From 5 to 13 March 2026
Conductor (5 March) ALEXANDER SODDY
Conductor (13 March) SIMONE YOUNG
Staging DAVID MCVICAR
Sets DAVID MCVICAR & HANNAH POSTLETHWAITE
Costumes EMMA KINGSBURY
Lights DAVID FINN
Videos and projections KATY TUCKER
Choreographies GARETH MOLE
Master martial arts / circus performance DAVID GREEVES
Cast
Siegfried Klaus Florian Vogt
Mime Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke
Der Wanderer / Wotan Michael Volle
Alberich Ólafur Sigurdarson
Fafner Ain Anger
Erda Christa Mayer
Brünnhilde Camilla Nylund
Stimme des Waldvogels Francesca Aspromonte
The third episode of the Tetralogy introduces the character Siegfried, the child of the siblings Siegmund and Sieglinde raised in the cave of the treacherous Mime and destined to reforge the sword Nothung to slay the dragon Fafner, custodian of the treasure, before freeing Brünnhilde from the ring of enchanted fire. A youth who knows no fear is the protagonist of a fairy-tale interweave charged with the spirit of nature and filled with obstacles to overcome before he finally reaches the Valkyrie who sacrifices her divine status to be with him.
Götterdämmerung (Der Ring des Nibelungen)
From 7 to 15 March 2026
Conductor (15 March) SIMONE YOUNG
Staging DAVID MCVICAR
Sets DAVID MCVICAR & HANNAH POSTLETHWAITE
Costumes EMMA KINGSBURY
Lights DAVID FINN
Videos and projections KATY TUCKER
Choreography GARETH MOLE
Master martial arts / circus performance DAVID GREEVES
Cast
Siegfried Klaus Florian Vogt
Hagen Günther Groissböck
Gunther Russell Braun
Alberich Johannes Martin Kränzle
Brünnhilde Camilla Nylund
Gutrune/Terza Norna Olga Bezsmertna
Seconda Norna Szilvia Vörös
Waltraute Nina Stemme
Woglinde Lea-ann Dunbar
Wellgunde Svetlina Stoyanova
Flosshilde Virginie Verrez
Prima Norna Christa Mayer
Götterdämmerung marks the final day of The Ring of the Nibelung. With it, Sir David McVicar’s directorial vision reaches completion—a vision that brings the Ring back to its mythical foundations and narrative clarity, firmly establishing it as a cornerstone of the Western canon. Ancient tragedy, Baroque theatre, and Elizabethan drama converge in an interpretation that identifies two episodes of comedy—Das Rheingold and Siegfried—and two deep dives into tragedy—Die Walküre and especially Götterdämmerung, which culminates in catastrophe.
Turandot
From 1 to 29 April 2026
Conductor NICOLA LUISOTTI
Staging DAVIDE LIVERMORE
Sets ELEONORA PERONETTI, PAOLO GEP CUCCO, DAVIDE LIVERMORE
Costumes MARIANA FRACASSO
Lights ANTONIO CASTRO
Video D-WOK
Cast
Princess Turandot Anna Pirozzi (1, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 29 Apr.) / Ewa Plonka (8, 11, 14 and 21 Apr.)
The Emperor Altoum Gregory Bonfatti
Timur Riccardo Zanellato (1, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 29 Apr.) / Adolfo Corrado (8, 11, 14 and 21 Apr.)
The Unknown Prince (Calaf) Roberto Alagna (1, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 29 Apr.) / Angelo Villari (8, 11, 14 and 21 Apr.)
Liù Mariangela Sicilia (1, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 18 and 21 Apr.) / Selene Zanetti (24 and 29 Apr.)
Ping Lodovico Filippo Ravizza
Pang Paolo Antognetti
Pong Francesco Pittari
A Mandarin Alberto Petricca
The Prince of Persia Haiyang Guo
The world premiere of Giacomo Puccini’s final masterpiece took place at La Scala on April 25, 1926. The composer had died in Brussels on November 29, 1924, without completing the score. Arturo Toscanini had asked Franco Alfano to prepare an ending, the composition of which proved to be problematic. On the night of the premiere, Toscanini laid down his baton at the last note composed by Puccini, at the death of Liù—a gesture that became part of La Scala’s history and is commemorated in the production conceived by Davide Livermore for the Puccini centenary. This lavish production, blending technological marvels with artisanal craftsmanship, is being revived under the baton of Nicola Luisotti, and marks the return to La Scala of Anna Pirozzi, one of the most acclaimed Italian interpreters of the role of Turandot, alongside Roberto Alagna as Calaf and Mariangela Sicilia as Liù.
Pelléas et Mélisande
From 22 April to 9 May 2026
Conductor MAXIME PASCAL
Staging, sets, costumes and lights ROMEO CASTELLUCCI
Dramaturgy CHRISTIAN LONGCHAMP
Artistic collaboration GIULIA GIAMMONA
Cast
Pelléas Bernard Richter
Mélisande Sara Blanch
Golaud Simon Keenlyside
Geneviève Marie-Nicole Lemieux
Arkel John Releya
The opera that Claude Debussy created from Maurice Maeterlinck’s symbolist drama stands as one of the greatest achievements in the history of musical theatre. The stage of La Scala recalls productions of exceptional significance: from Victor de Sabata’s conducting in 1948 and 1953, to Herbert von Karajan’s in 1962, and the legendary staging by Antoine Vitez with Claudio Abbado on the podium in 1986, while Georges Prêtre conducted the productions in 1973, 1977, and 2005. In such a prestigious interpretative history, we find the return of Maxime Pascal’s fresh and insightful artistry – one of today’s most compelling French conductors, who has led major contemporary works at La Scala – and the La Scala debut of Romeo Castellucci, a renowned Italian stage director. As one of Italy’s most influential directors—regularly invited to major European theatres and festivals—Castellucci brings a vision of theatre that is both sacred and visionary, deeply rooted in art history, and promises a profound encounter with the symbolism of Debussy’s work.
Nabucodonosor (Nabucco)
From 16 May to 9 June 2026
Conductor RICCARDO CHAILLY
Staging ALESSANDRO TALEVI
Sets and costumes GARY MCCANN
Lights and Video designer MARCO GIUSTI
Choreography DANILO RUBECA
Action and Stunt Designer RAN ARTHUR BRAUN
Illusionist PAUL KIEVE
Cast
Nabucodonosor Luca Salsi (16, 19, 22, 26 and 29 May; 4 June) / Dmitri Platanias (31 May; 6 and 9 June)
Ismaele Francesco Meli (16, 19, 22, 26 and 29 May; 4 June) / Giorgio Berrugi (31 May; 6 and 9 June)
Abigaille Anna Netrebko
Zaccaria Michele Pertusi (16, 19, 22, 26 and 29 May; 4 June) / Simon Lim (31 May; 6 and 9 June)
Fenena Veronica Simeoni (16, 19, 22, 26 and 29 May; 4 June) / to be announced (31 May; 6 and 9 June)
Anna Laura Lolita Perešivana
Abdallo Haiyang Guo
After the Kurt Weill Triptych and the Season opening in tribute to Shostakovich, Music Director M° Chailly adds another key milestone to his ongoing exploration of Verdi’s work, completing his survey of the composer’s early operas with the work that marked a turning point. The triumph of Nabucodonosor at La Scala in 1842 signalled the definitive breakthrough of the composer, while also forging a strong bond between the Milanese theatre (and, more broadly, Italian opera) and the emerging spirit of unification and the Risorgimento. The new production, in which the divertissements composed by Verdi for the 1848 revival in Brussels will be performed, marks the La Scala debut of the now well-established talent of Alessandro Talevi, a South African director who has reconnected with his Italian roots. The cast is the best imaginable: Anna Netrebko, Luca Salsi, Francesco Meli, Michele Pertusi, and Veronica Simeoni. Also central to the production is the Chorus, conducted by Alberto Malazzi, performing the iconic “Va, pensiero.”
Carmen
From 8 to 27 June 2026
Conductor MYUNG-WHUN CHUNG
Staging DAMIANO MICHIELETTO
Sets PAOLO FANTIN
Costumes CARLA TETI
Lights ALESSANDRO CARLETTI
Cast
Don José Vittorio Grigolo (8, 12, 16, 22, 25 and 27 June) / Matthew Polenzani (10, 18, 20 and 23 June)
Escamillo Giorgi Manoshvili (8, 12, 16, 22, 25 and 27 June) / Nicolas Courjal (10, 18, 20 and 23 June)
Le Dancaïre Pierre Doyen
Le Remendado Loïc Félix
Carmen Clémentine Margaine (8, 12, 16, 22 and 25 June) / Stéphanie d’Oustrac (10, 18, 20, 23 and 27 June)
Micaëla Slávka Zámečníková
Mercédès Marine Chagnon
Frasquita Sarah Dufresne
The next Music Director of the Teatro alla Scala, Myung-Whun Chung, reaches his eleventh opera title at La Scala (having conducted over 140 concerts both at home and on tour) with this new production of Bizet’s Carmen, a co-production with London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and Madrid’s Teatro Real. Well-versed in French music—also through his work with the Opéra Bastille and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France—Chung leads a cast that is perfectly idiomatic. Alongside Clémentine Margaine in the title role, alternating with Stéphanie d’Oustrac, and Giorgi Manoshvili as Escamillo, the production features Vittorio Grigolo as Don José—a major Italian voice with a strong affinity for the French repertoire— alternating with Matthew Polenzani. Damiano Michieletto and set designer Paolo Fantin reduce local colour to a minimum in order to construct a bare and effective spectacle, focused on the ineluctable fate of the protagonists.
Lucia di Lammermoor
From 26 June to 17 July 2026
Conductor SPERANZA SCAPPUCCI
Staging, sets and costumes YANNIS KOKKOS
Lights VINICIO CHELI
Video ERIC DURANTEAU
Cast
Lord Enrico Ashton Boris Pinkhasovich
Miss Lucia Rosa Feola
Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood Pene Pati
Lord Arturo Bucklaw Leonardo Cortellazzi
Raimondo Bidebent Michele Pertusi
Normanno Paolo Antognetti
A milestone in the history of musical theatre, Lucia di Lammermoor was born from the encounter between the sensibility of Italian melodrama and the gothic atmosphere of Walter Scott’s novel. Director Yannis Kokkos, who originally staged this production in 2003 under the baton of Riccardo Chailly, sees the opera as a ruthless hunt in which the victim is driven toward the depths of madness, evoked by Donizetti through the ethereal sound of the glass harmonica. The revival is entrusted to Speranza Scappucci, a conductor well-versed in bel canto, who made her La Scala debut with Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi. The cast features distinguished voices: alongside the leads—Rosa Feola, Pene Pati, and Boris Pinkhasovich—is Michele Pertusi as a commanding Raimondo.
L’elisir d’amore
From 5 to 16 September 2026
Conductor MARCO ALIBRANDO
Staging MARIA MAUTI
Each year, La Scala entrusts a production to the forces of the Teatro alla Scala Academy of Performing Arts: the orchestra, soloists, and chorus are given the opportunity to engage with the main stage in front of the Season’s audience. For 2026, a new production of Gaetano Donizetti‘s L’elisir d’amore is planned, conceived and designed to later be adapted as a performance for young audiences. The production offers the opportunity for two important debuts: Marco Alibrando, one of the most interesting Italian conductors of the new generation, recently appointed Music Director of the Nationaltheatre and Staatskapelle Weimar and the musical force behind the innovative Milan-based project Voce all’Opera, is rapidly establishing his career both in Italy and internationally. Maria Mauti arrives at La Scala following her work as a writer and documentary filmmaker, as well as her first opera directing experience with Norma in Macerata.La traviata
From 19 September to 15 October 2026
Faust
From 20 October to 8 November 2026
Conductor DANIELE RUSTIONI
Staging JOHANNES ERATH
Sets HEIKE SCHEELE
Costumes GESINE VÖLLM
Lights FABIO ANTOCI
Video designer BIBI ABEL
Cast
Marguerite Marina Rebeka
Méphistophéles Alex Esposito
Faust Vittorio Grigolo
Siébel Marcela Rahal
Valentin Ernesto Petti
Among the most beloved titles in the French repertoire for their melodic invention and the natural flow of dramatic progression, Faust by Charles Gounod has been absent from the stage of the Teatro alla Scala since 2010. The new production, a co-production with the Palau de les Arts in Valencia and the Staatsoper in Berlin, marks the return of conductor Daniele Rustioni, who is about to conclude his tenure as Principal Conductor at the Opéra de Lyon and has not conducted at La Scala since Il Trovatore in 2014. It also marks the debut of director Johannes Erath, a musician by training, whose production of Ermione for the 2024 Rossini Festival won the Italian music critics’ prestigious Abbiati Award for Best Production. On stage, some of the most beloved artists by the La Scala audience: Marina Rebeka, who will bring Norma by Bellini back to Milan in 2025, and Alex Esposito, an artist with an ever-expanding repertoire.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
