La Grande Opera in Villa

La Grande Opera in Villa was born in 2020 from an idea by Alberto Uva, as part of the cultural initiative Arte&Cultura Villa Sormani. It offers a unique experience inspired by a tradition from the past that has now almost faded: attending a chamber version of an opera within a setting rich in history and beauty.

La Grande Opera in Villa represents a new way of presenting and sharing opera: a dive into the past that feels current and engaging.
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Just like in the 19th century, when operas were performed in noble residences, the audience is immersed in the drama, closely interacting with the performers, creating a direct and powerful experience. The visit to villas and palaces becomes something more than passive contemplation—it is transformed into an emotional and spiritual journey, making spectators relive the essence of what once happened in those very rooms.

Bringing opera into alternative venues beyond traditional theatres allows us to attract an ever-wider and more diverse audience. This supports the UNESCO principle recognizing operatic singing as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Our mission is to preserve and pass on the immense cultural heritage of art, literature, theatre, and music—elements now scientifically recognised as essential for our mental and physical well-being.

Program Overview of “La Grande Opera in Villa” for Palazzo Foundation

La Grande Opera in Villa is a unique form of musical theatre that presents major Italian and international operas in a reduced and adapted version of Opéra comique, blending singing, acting, and dance, with piano accompaniment and period costumes.

For Palazzo Foundation, Arte&Cultura Villa Sormani has curated a program featuring three operatic titles, in addition to Puccini’s Madama Butterfly for the Foundation's inaugural event, two theatrical performances with musical accompaniment, and a piano recital.

Cavalleria Rusticana
June 19

Music by Pietro Mascagni
Libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci

Cavalleria Rusticana is Mascagni’s first opera and undoubtedly his most famous and beloved work, thanks in no small part to the inspired Intermezzo sinfonico—a brief orchestral masterpiece of which Gustav Mahler would later say: “Only an Italian could have composed this piece of music.”

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ItinerDANTE – Siamo inferno
July 3

Naufraghi Inversi
“Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise are not only otherworldly realms—they are inner spaces we often deny or forget to explore.”
Actor Eugenio Di Fraia and musician Angelo Marrone guide the audience through an emotionally stirring journey, merging the raw power of Dante’s verses with the intensity of live music.
No sets, no frills—only the pure word of Dante, authentically interpreted, elevated by music. An experience that resonates deeply with the human spirit.

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Verdi. Life and works through letters to Giuseppina Strepponi
July 17

A performance to intimately explore one of the greatest Italian opera composers, Giuseppe Verdi, through music—arias for soprano and tenor with piano—and the dramatic reading of original, unpublished letters, adapted for the stage by Ettore Radice and performed by actors in period costumes.
Verdi had a profound bond with the city of Genoa, and this show reveals his inner world and artistic genius.

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Rigoletto
July 31

Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave

The first opera of the Popular Trilogy, Rigoletto marks a crucial evolution in Verdi’s work.
Inspired by Victor Hugo’s French realism, Verdi crafts psychologically complex characters and delves deeper than ever into the realism of human nature, with all its contradictions.
Gone are the historical figures and noble heroes—in their place are outcasts, powerful emotions, and the cruelty of fate that spares no one, especially the marginalized.

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Piano Recital – Andrea Molteni
September 4

Promising 27-year-old pianist, Andrea Molteni is building a flourishing international career, performing regularly in China, Australia, Germany, the UK, the US, Singapore, and Italy.
His debut album, dedicated to Petrassi and Dallapiccola, was featured by France Musique and Radio Classica, praised as a “strange yet fascinating album” (The Art Music Lounge)—a showcase of brilliant musicianship and a passion for exploring lesser-known repertoire.
A returning guest at Villa Sormani Marzorati Uva, Molteni presents for Palazzo Foundation a program bridging the “Three Bs” of classical music—Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms—along with the Toccata by Petrassi (a composer he particularly admires) and, in homage to La Grande Opera in Villa, Liszt’s Grosse Konzert-Fantasie über Bellini.

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Tosca
September 25

Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica

Tosca was the first opera of the 20th century, premiering in Rome on January 14, 1900 at Teatro Costanzi.

Despite initial tension and hostility in the hall, it quickly triumphed, spreading to the most prestigious theatres in Italy and reaching La Scala just three months later—conducted by none other than Arturo Toscanini.
Tosca is a torrent of emotion from beginning to end: a modern opera with the pace and tension of a thriller, plunging the audience into suspense and danger that never lets up until the tragic finale.

The Partnership between Palazzo Foundation and Arte&Cultura Villa Sormani – La Grande Opera in Villa

In 2024, La Grande Opera in Villa arrives in Genoa during the Rolli Days with four performances. La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi opens the season at Villa Pallavicino delle Peschiere, where a shared vision between hosts and guests becomes immediately evident.

Bringing together art, history, culture, and beauty to revive historic villas and palaces and rescue them from oblivion and decay through theatre and music—that’s the natural formula born from the encounter between Palazzo Foundation and La Grande Opera in Villa.
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After this first deeply moving collaboration, the will to work together on something truly unique quickly became a shared objective, with impact across many levels and audiences.

The seven performances scheduled between June and September 2025 are the first step toward building a solid cultural presence in the territory, offering the city of Genoa—and especially schools and social organizations—a meaningful, human-centred experience.