Giovanni Andrea Zanon, Ettore Pagano and Federico Altareat the Arena for the world premiere of Paganini Paradise

August 18th and 19th, 2026 - Arena di Verona

Classical music becomes immersive and three-dimensional. At the Arena di Verona, Balich Wonder Studio is returning to the stage for the 2026 summer season with two concerts produced in collaboration with the Fondazione Arena di Verona. On 18 August, Paganini Paradise: Superlive Immersive Concert will make its world premiere – a musical and visual tribute to the talent of the most revolutionary musician of his time. On 19 August, following the sell-out success of the two previous editions, Viva Vivaldi: The Four Seasons Immersive Concert is back. This multi-award-winning production combines listening with a three-dimensional visual experience. 

In this record-breaking year, after directing the Milan Cortina Olympics Opening Ceremony and the FIFA World Cup Ceremonies, Balich Wonder Studio has created a new show for the Arena di Verona: Paganini Paradise. The interweaving of the majesty and wonder of Niccolò Paganini’s compositions, accompanied by unforgettable pieces by composers such as Pachelbel, Albinoni, Handel, Tartini, Fauré and Barber, will take the audience on a spectacular musical journey from light to darkness.

Heaven and heel will be portrayed across three acts, in a reinterpretation of one of art’s most famous representations, through an inner journey into the depths of our souls and on, to the chaos of the infinite universe that surrounds us. This is a celebration of the opposites that govern the reality in which we live in a state of balance, making our lives marvellous and special, complex and dreamlike, yet also thrilling and frightening. 

The Fondazione Arena di Verona Orchestra will be joined by violinist Giovanni Andrea Zanon, cellist Ettore Pagano and flautist Federico Altare – three of the brightest talents of the new generation, who have already taken centre stage at leading international theatres and festivals. 
Acclaimed for his performances and a regular at prestigious international venues, such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the Philharmonie in Paris, Zanon returns to the Arena di Verona stage following the success of the first two sold-out editions of Viva Vivaldi and his recent participation in the Opening Ceremony of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Pagano was awarded the Abbiati Prize and the Classeek Award at the ICMA in 2025 and, recently – a year and a half after his debut at the Teatro Filarmonico with Shostakovich’s Second Cello Concerto – he won first prize at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Cello Competition in Brussels, becoming the first Italian in the history of the competition to achieve such a result.

Altare, meanwhile, exploded onto the international scene in 2026 by winning First Prize and the Orchestra Prize at the prestigious Carl Nielsen International Competition in Odense. Renowned for his artistic personality, which combines virtuosity, versatility and an in-depth knowledge of the repertoire, he collaborates with some of Europe’s leading musical institutions, from the Ensemble Intercontemporain to Les Arts Florissants. His outstanding career spans early music to contemporary composition.  

On 19 August, the multi-award-winning Viva Vivaldi will return for its third consecutive season. The format that has revolutionised symphonic music will bring Antonio Vivaldi’s immortal melodies back to the Arena di Verona with a show that showcases the magical alchemy between the 29 members of the Fondazione Arena di Verona orchestra, conducted by Giovanni Andrea Zanon and strictly faithful to Vivaldi’s original score, and the contemporary language of immersive technology applied to the conventions of classical music.

Visual art will take centre stage alongside the music on both evenings. Thanks to a sophisticated technological system combining transparent LED screens, each act will be accompanied by spectacular projections, evocative visual effects and video content with three-dimensional effects that will emerge from the stage above the audience, enhancing the overwhelming power of the music. This emotional dimension transcends the boundaries of space and time and will allow the audience to experience, at first hand, the sublime beauty of music and the extraordinary power of the elements of nature. 

Conceived by Marco Balich and co-produced by the Fondazione Arena di Verona, the performances feature a host of great talents, including Creative Directors Stefania Opipari and Claudio Sbragion. Karmachina is handling the Artistic Direction and production of the video content for Paganini Paradise, whilst the videos for Viva Vivaldi are produced by Moving Dots under the artistic direction of Rino Stefano Tagliafierro.

These two performances, among the most innovative in the Arena di Verona Opera Festival’s packed programme, are imaginative live interpretations of two cornerstones in the history of the violin, capable of surprising even the most discerning audiences and winning over new generations. 

Tickets are on sale from €30 on the www.arena.it website, at the ticket offices in Via Roma and Via Dietro Anfiteatro and through the Vivaticket network. And a 30% discount will apply when buying a ticket for both dates.
Young people: last few seats available at €30 in the stalls for Paganini Paradise, thanks to UniCredit’s U30 initiative.
For schools, universities, conservatoires and academies, ticket prices start at €15 (must be booked through the Education, Culture and Promotion Office of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, by emailingscuola@arenadiverona.it or by calling 045 8051933 - 1984).