Guadagnino Stages Klinghoffer Opera in Florence
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- Luca Guadagnino is directing his first opera in over 15 years, a new production of John Adams’ “The Death of Klinghoffer” at Florence’s Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
- The Death of Klinghoffer has been repeatedly accused of antisemitism and is the first new staging since the Oct. 7 2023 Hamas attack and subsequent Israeli Gaza bombardment.
- Lawrence Renes is conducting his first “Klinghoffer” and describes the score as “infinitely harder” for chorus, soloists and musicians than other Adams works.
- Laurent Naouri and Susan Bullock are cast as the Klinghoffers, bringing French bass‑baritone and British soprano leads to the production.
- Ella Rothschild is choreographing the opera with 12 dancers, emphasizing movement that “bleeds out” of the chorales and creates a new way for audiences to understand the piece.
- Carlo Fuortes says the theatre has received no political pressure or protest plans, stressing that “theatre has to take risks” and speak to people beyond tradition.
Why it matters: The production gives Florence’s audience a rare chance to confront a polarizing work that humanizes both victims and perpetrators, while the Maggio Musicale asserts its willingness to take artistic risks amid a climate of protest‑sensitive opera staging in the city's cultural calendar.
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