Umberto Eco's 'The Name of the Rose' becomes opera at La Scala

The opera 'Il nome della rosa', composed by Francesco Filidei, premiered on April 27, 2025, at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Directed by Ingo Metzmacher and staged by Damiano Michieletto, the work is a free adaptation of Umberto Eco's 1980 novel. Filidei described the opera as 'an installation in a contemporary art museum, made with 19th-century paintings immersed in different tonal colors and set in a labyrinthine metal frame.' The two-act opera lasts about three hours and incorporates references to Mahler and Gregorian chant. Commissioned by La Scala and the Opéra de Paris, it runs from April 27 to May 10 for six performances. The premiere was broadcast live on RaiRadio3 and recorded by RaiCultura. This is the second collaboration between La Scala and SIAE. The novel, which has sold over 50 million copies, previously inspired a 1986 film by Jean-Jacques Annaud starring Sean Connery, and a 2023 graphic novel by Milo Manara.