Verdi’s opera to open Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival

ANTALYA

The opera “Attila,” which was the final premiere of the 2025-2026 artistic season of the Antalya State Opera and Ballet on June 9, will also be the opening work of the 33rd International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival.

“Attila,” one of Giuseppe Verdi’s early masterpieces and an important work of the world opera repertoire, is being brought to the stage by director Yiğit Günsoy.

The production draws attention with its magnificent stage design, powerful musical structure, impressive choral scenes and large cast of soloists.

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Günsoy said that “Attila” is one of Verdi’s early operas.

He said that the opera will continue to be performed next year, adding: “It will be the opening work of the International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival on Sept. 12. After that, it will be staged by the Antalya State Opera and Ballet during the season. It is a work focused on the final days of Attila.”

Composed by Giuseppe Verdi in 1846, “Attila” stands out as a powerful human drama centered on the concepts of power, revenge, loyalty, betrayal and belonging, beyond being merely a historical opera.

The work, which is among the composer’s early creations, is regarded as one of the important heralds of the dramatic narrative approach that Verdi would mature in the years ahead. Focusing on Hun Emperor Attila’s campaign in Italy, the work reinterprets historical events from a dramatic perspective.