Peter Sellars directs Italian debut of Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater

Fleur Barron (Adriana)

Adriana Mater

Fleur Barron (Adriana), Nicholas Phan (Yonas) and Axelle Fanyo (Refka)

By Pia Maltri, 14 October 2025

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“her rich timbre and perfect intonation complemented by an intense but natural interpretation”

Reviewed at Teatro Costanzi, Teatro dell'Opera, Rome on 11 October 2025

Saariaho, Adriana Mater

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma

Ernest Martínez Izquierdo, Conductor

Peter Sellars, Director

Camille Assaf, Costume Designer

James F Ingalls, Lighting Designer

Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma

Coro del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma

Fleur Barron, Adriana

Axelle Fanyo, Refka

Nicholas Phan, Yonas

Christopher Purves, Tsargo

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Pia Maltri

Pia first fell head over heels for opera when she was a teenager by listening to recordings of some of the great voices of the past: Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Mirella Freni, Alfredo Kraus. She holds a degree in Italian Literature and she lives in Rome.