Romanzo criminale – Nicola Piovani | Opera
New production

The Fondazione Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Fondazione “Musica per Roma” announce the important commission of a new opera: Romanzo criminale, based on the best-selling novel by Giancarlo De Cataldo. The opera, with music and musical direction by Nicola Piovani, libretto by De Cataldo, and stage direction by Massimo Popolizio, is scheduled to premiere at the Teatro del Maggio Fiorentino in October 2026 and will later be staged in Rome at the Auditorium Parco della Musica “Ennio Morricone” in 2027.

“I am absolutely thrilled, moved, and immensely happy about this project,” said Giancarlo De Cataldo upon the announcement of the new opera based on his novel. “It’s almost as if I were living in a dream. An opera inspired by Romanzo criminale is truly a dream come true for me. It was thanks to Carlo Fuortes that I discovered the world of opera, a world that has captivated and enchanted me. Through him, I began to approach it timidly, and now I even consider myself a new opera lover. Knowing that my work is becoming an opera is a real achievement for me. Romanzo criminale is a popular genre novel that over time has become a monumental one, so much so that its value has been recognized even by academies; it introduced literary elements into the noir genre and gave rise to a film and two television series, thus opening new paths and even entering everyday language, as in expressions like ‘Romanzo Quirinale’. Now this bold idea of opening a new path in opera seems even more exciting, and I am thrilled to do it with Nicola Piovani, to do it at the Maggio Fiorentino, and then of course in Rome as well. Piovani is an artist who crosses many musical forms, and—let me add,” said De Cataldo, “Nicola created a historic show and book with the same title, La musica è pericolosa (Music is Dangerous). Since Romanzo criminale has often been called dangerous, it seems a fitting encounter between two people who ‘do harm’. The Teatro del Maggio, as Superintendent Fuortes says, has always embodied the ‘tradition of the new’, where experimentation and cross-pollination among the arts have a home, and where a project like this—just as groundbreaking as the novel, the film, and the two series—can take shape with substance and credibility.”

Echoing his words, Nicola Piovani, the famous Oscar-winning composer, now at his third opera, said: “Designing a new musical work is an exciting and joyful idea, but one filled with questions and a touch of fear. I consider musical theater one of the highest art forms ever created by humankind. The intersection of poetry, singing, and stage action, combined with the colors of the orchestra, has for me both a celestial and feverish fascination. I am delighted to have accepted Carlo Fuortes’s invitation to work in the glorious Teatro del Maggio and am very pleased that the opera will also be presented in Rome at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone. A strong plot and a skilled librettist are the essential foundations for creating a musical work, and in this case, both are present: Giancarlo De Cataldo, besides being a great novelist, is a passionate connoisseur of opera with whom I immediately found perfect understanding. We embark on this theatrical journey together with great enthusiasm—and enthusiasm often helps. Romanzo criminale is the title of a great book and a great film. Trying to turn it into an opera worthy of them will not be easy, but difficult challenges fascinate me.”