Festival della Valle d'Itria presents world premiere of Bizet's original Carmen and revival of Provenzale's Il schiavo …

The 52nd Festival della Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca (Taranto) staged two historic operatic events in July 2024. On 24 July, the baroque drama Il schiavo di sua moglie (1672) by Francesco Provenzale, long unheard since its manuscript resurfaced in Rome, was performed for the first time in modern history at the Chiostro del Carmine, with repeat performances on 27 and 30 July. The production was conducted by musicologist Antonio Florio, who leads the Cappella Neapolitana, and staged by Rita Cosentino.

Two days later, on 25 July, the festival presented the world premiere of Georges Bizet's original 1874 version of Carmen at the Palazzo Ducale, followed by further shows on 28 July, 31 July and 2 August. Music publisher Bärenreiter, using Paul Prévost’s critical edition, restored the autograph manuscript, allowing the opera to be performed in its initial opéra‑comique form with spoken dialogue and extensive mélodrames. Earlier in 2024 René Jacobs had rendered the work in concert form in Paris and Hamburg, but this marked its first fully staged performance in Italy and the first globally since Bizet’s original score was written.