Arena di Verona celebrates Zenatello on the 150th anniversary of his birth
Monday, May 18th, at 4:30 p.m., free admission event in Sala Maffeiana
Historic recordings and unpublished photographs with Davide Annachini
Giovanni Zenatello was born 150 years ago: Veronese tenor, impresario, talent scout, but above all the creator of opera performances in the Arena. With the staging of Aida for Verdi’s centenary in 1913, Zenatello inaugurated the first Opera Festival in Verona’s Amphitheatre, in collaboration with Tullio Serafin, Ferruccio Cusinati and Ottone Rovato.
On this special anniversary, Fondazione Arena di Verona commemorates him with several initiatives that will be presented on Monday 18 May at 4.30 pm in Sala Maffeiana by Cecilia Gasdia, Superintendent of Fondazione Arena, together with his grandson Giovanni Zenatello and critic and musicologist Davide Annachini, who will give an extensive presentation featuring valuable historic recordings and previously unpublished historical images. It will also be a unique opportunity to closely admire the precious 1913 sword specially created for the first Arena production of Aida.
Monday’s conference-event, with free admission subject to availability, is only the first of the initiatives that will continue over the coming months.
Giovanni Zenatello (1876–1949) was one of the most important tenors of the early decades of the twentieth century: the greatest composers of his time, including Puccini, wrote new operas specifically for him. He was among the first artists to record his own voice for the commercial distribution of music on records, discovered talents of historic significance from Fleta to Lily Pons and even Maria Callas, who at the age of twenty-three made her Italian and European debut precisely at the Arena di Verona thanks to the audition she had in New York with Zenatello.
A story intertwined with the history of the twentieth century, entirely to be discovered by the Veronese public and beyond, in an event open to citizens, students, opera lovers, enthusiasts and the curious alike. A fundamental historical and artistic preview for the 103rd Arena di Verona Opera Festival, for which preparations are in full swing in the Amphitheatre and rehearsal rooms ahead of the 53 evenings of performances from 5 June to 12 September 2026.
Information
Press Office Fondazione Arena di Verona
Via Roma 7/D, 37121 Verona - ufficio.stampa@arenadiverona.it
tel. (+39) 045 805.1861-1905-1891-1939 -1847
