"The headliner of this year's Saaremaa Opera Days is Livorno's Goldoni Opera House, one of Italy's leading opera companies, which performs abroad every year. The company is coming to Estonia with its soloists, choir and orchestra — 135 people in total," said Priit Mikk, executive producer of the festival.

For Saaremaa audiences, the company will perform Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria rusticana", Giacomo Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi", Giuseppe Verdi's "La traviata" and Gaetano Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore". The program also includes an Italian film music gala and an opera gala. In addition to the evening performance of "La traviata", audiences can attend an extra daytime performance in the castle courtyard.

The festival's opening production is "Das Rheingold", the first part of Wagner's 1874 tetralogy, presented in full in Estonia for the first time through a collaboration between Eesti Kontsert and Vanemuine. "Eesti Kontsert and the National Theatre Vanemuine have long discussed working together, and it is symbolic that we are bringing the technically demanding first part of the Ring cycle to the stage with Vanemuine this summer in Kuressaare," said Eesti Kontsert director Eha Pank.

On July 19, Vanemuine will present the children's musical "Sipsik", based on Eno Raud's book and Edgar Valter's illustrations. On July 22, the Italian film music gala will feature works by Ennio Morricone, Nicola Piovani, Nino Rota and Alan Silvestri.

The program also includes Opera Royal's midnight salon, with two performances by Livorno's Gary Baldi Bros ensemble. Saaremaa Opera Days conclude on the evening of July 25 with an opera gala featuring selections from Italian composers.

Saaremaa Opera Days began in 1999, and since 2008 the festival has been organized by Eesti Kontsert. The executive producer is Priit Mikk and the artistic director is Ain Anger.

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