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Attila
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 August 2026 | ||||||
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Synopsis
Time: Mid-5th century (it was in 452 that the historical Attila destroyed the city of Aquileia)
Place: Aquileia, the Adriatic lagoons, and near Rome
Act 1
Scene 1: Some weeks later. A wood near Attila's camp, near Rome
Odabella laments her late father and (believing him to be dead) also her lover Foresto (Oh! Nel fuggente nuvolo / "O father, is your image not imprinted on the fleeting clouds?..."). When he appears, she is put on the defensive, denying any infidelity and reminding him of the biblical Judith. The couple is reunited: Oh, t'inebria nell'amplesso / "O vast joy without measure".
Scene 2: Attila's tent
Attila awakes and tells Uldino of a dream in which an old man stopped him at the gates of Rome and warned him to turn back (Mentre gonfiarsi l'anima parea / "As my soul seemed to swell"). In the daylight, his courage returns and he orders a march (Oltre a quel limite, t'attendo, o spettro / "Beyond that boundary I await you, O ghost!"). However, when a procession of maidens clad in white approaches, singing the Veni Creator Spiritus prayer (Vieni. Le menti visita / "Come, visit our minds"), he recognizes the Roman bishop Leo as the old man of his dream and collapses in terror.
Act 2
Scene 1: Ezio's camp
Ezio has been recalled after a peace has been concluded. He contrasts Rome's past glory with the current child emperor Valentine (Dagl'immortali vertici / "From the splendid immortal peaks of former glory"). Recognizing the incognito Foresto among the bearers of an invitation to a banquet with Attila, he agrees to join forces with him (È gettata la mia sorte, son pronto ad ogni guerra / "My lot is cast, I am prepared for any warfare" ).
Scene 2: Attila's banquet
Foresto's plot to have Uldino poison Attila is foiled by Odabella, jealous of her own revenge. A grateful (and unsuspecting) Attila declares she shall be his wife, and places the unmasked Foresto in her custody.
Act 3
The forest
Uldino informs Foresto about the plans for the wedding of Odabella and Attila; Foresto laments Odabella's apparent betrayal (Che non avrebbe il misero / "What would that wretched man not have offered for Odabella"). Ezio arrives with a plan to ambush the Huns; when Odabella comes Foresto accuses her of treachery, but she pleads for his trust (Te sol quest'anima / "Foresto, my soul belongs to you"). Attila finds the three together and realizes he has been betrayed. As Roman soldiers approach, Odabella stabs him with the sword he had given her. The three conspirators cry that the people have been avenged.
Program and cast
La Fenice Fenice Orchestra & Choir
Conductor: Sebastiano Rolli
Chorus master: Alfonso Caiani
Director: Leo Muscato
Attila Michele Pertusi
Odabella Anastasia Bartoli
Foresto Andeka Gorrotxategi
Teatro La Fenice
Teatro La Fenice ("The Phoenix") is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres (to fire and legal problems respectively). Since opening and being named La Fenice, it has burned and been rebuilt twice more.
The Teatro La Fenice was founded in 1792. In the nineteenth century, the theatre staged the world premieres of numerous operas, including Rossini’sTancredi, Sigismondo and Semiramide, Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi (The Capulets and the Montagues) and Beatrice di Tenda, Donizetti’sBelisario (Belisarius), Pia de’ Tolomei, and Maria de Rudenz, and Verdi’s Ernani, Attila, Rigoletto, La traviata and Simon Boccanegra.
In the last century, the Fenice has also placed a special emphasis on contemporary productions, welcoming the world premieres of Stravinski’s The Rake’s Progress, Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, Prokofiev’s L’angelo di fuoco (The Fiery Angel), Nono’s Intolleranza (Intolerance) and Maderna’s Hyperion. Recent premieres have included Kagel’s Entführung im Konzertsaal (Kidnapping in the Concert Hall), Guarnieri’s Medea, Mosca’s Signor Goldoni and Ambrosini’s Il killer di parole (The Killer of Words).
With a seating capacity for over one thousand people, the Fenice boasts excellent acoustics (which were improved when the theatre was rebuilt after the devastating fire of 1996), a 98-member orchestra and 66-person opera chorus, a dedicated local audience and a large international following. The theatre is a leading creative venue, staging more than one hundred opera performances per year, a major symphonic season conducted by prominent conductors from across the globe (including frequent collaborations with Myung-Whun Chung, Riccardo Chailly, Jeffrey Tate, Vladimir Temirkanov and Dmitrij Kitajenko), the full cycles of symphonies by Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and Mahler, a contemporary repertoire focused especially on Venetian artists such as Nono and Maderna, ballets, and chamber music concerts.
The theatre is owned by the Municipality of Venice and managed by the Fondazione Teatro La Fenice, a private body whose members include the State of Italy, the Veneto region, the Municipality of Venice and numerous public and private institutions. The foundation also runs a second theatre, the Teatro Malibran (formerly known as the Teatro di San Giovanni Grisostomo), which dates back to 1678.
The leadership of the Fondazione includes General Manager Cristiano Chiarot, Artistic Director Fortunato Ortombina, Principal Conductor Diego Matheuz and Chorus Master Claudio Marino Moretti.
Transport
Vaporetto
from Tronchetto: line 2
toward Rialto bridge, St Mark and Lido
from Piazzale Roma and the Santa Lucia train station: line 1 or line 2
toward Rialto bridge, St Mark and Lido
stops: take line 1 to Rialto bridge, St Angel, St Samuel or St Mark (Vallaresso);
or take line 2 to Rialto bridge or St Mark (Vallaresso)
Alilaguna public transportation service from the Marco Polo airport - take the orange line to Rialto bridge or the blue line to St Mark (Vallaresso)
Parking: although you can drive to Venice, cars, bicycles and mopeds are not permitted in the city. You can leave your vehicle in one of the parking garages on Tronchetto or in Piazzale Roma:
Entrances
La Fenice Opera House has two entrances:
- the stage door is for theatre staff and performers only and is manned by a doorman;
- the main entrance
Lifts
The boxes, gallery and family circle can be reached via elevators
Access
The theatre complies with all legal regulations regarding special needs accessibility.
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