Spoleto Festival Opens

The Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi (Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds) of dance, opera, art, theatre and music opens later this month. Set in the Umbrian hill town of Spoleto in Perugia, the festival began in 1958. It was once one of the most glamorous celebrations of the arts in Europe, frequented by artists including poet Ezra Pound, playwright Tennessee Williams and sculptor Henry Moore. Italian film and stage director Giorgio Ferrara has headed the Spoleto Festival since 2008. With the support of fashion heiress Carla Fendi, Ferrara is attempting to restore the festival to its former glory. The Carla Fendi Foundation is holding an exhibition ‘Behind The Scenes’ that traces the history of the festival through photographs, film and music. Among the names participating in this year’s Spoleto Festival is French choreographer Benjamin Millepied, who will stage two of his popular works in the premiere of the ‘LA Dance Project’. American avant-garde stage director and playwright Robert Wilson will direct Russian actor Mikhail Baryshnikov and American actor Willem Dafoe in a new adaptation of ‘The Old Woman’ by Russian surrealist Daniil Kharms. Italian singer and pianist Raphael Gualazzi will perform unpublished songs from his last disc Happy Mistake. The Spoleto Festival runs from 28 June to 14 July.