Paco Peña’s Requiem for the Earth — Italian premiere in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence
The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore once again offers an important event in the Cathedral of Florence: on November 27 at 21:15, the Italian premiere of Requiem for the Earth by Paco Peña will take place — a monumental work inviting reflection on the environmental crisis through the universal language of art and music. With free admission and mandatory reservation, the event is made possible thanks to the support of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, with production and artistic direction by Musicus Concentus.
Reservation required starting Thursday, 20 November at 9:30 at this link 👉 https://tickets.duomo.firenze.it/it/negozio#/it/acquista?skugroup_id=4649
One of the greatest exponents of flamenco and a true living legend, guitarist and composer Paco Peña has devoted his career to innovating the genre, weaving the richness of tradition with contemporary influences. In the Cathedral of Florence, Paco Peña will present Requiem for the Earth: an intense artistic meditation on the relationship between humanity and nature, evoking deep emotions and encouraging collective reflection through a vibrant and universal musical language. He will be joined on stage by 10 musicians and singers, alongside the Choir of the Cappella Musicale of the Cathedral of Florence and the Pueri Cantores Children’s Choir, both conducted by Maestro Michele Manganelli, continuing the collaboration begun last year.
A monumental work written in Spanish and Latin, it blends the visceral essence of flamenco — where joy and sorrow, hope and despair coexist — with the solemnity of the Requiem Mass, becoming a powerful ecological call: time to save the Earth is running out. Peña, a guitarist and composer working between London and Córdoba, expands the boundaries of the genre with a work that is intense yet radiant, alternating moments of anger and grief with celebratory sections such as Alabanza, leading to the final Esperanza, vibrant and dance-like. The texts, inspired by Homer, Lovelock, and Bunyard, intertwine poetry and science in a reflection that feels more urgent than ever today.
Requiem for the Earth is the fourth event presented in the Cathedral of Florence thanks to the collaboration between the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore and Musicus Concentus. Previously, in 2022, the concert Altissima Luce by Paolo Fresu and Daniele di Bonaventura was held, followed the next year by Back to Bach – Special Edition with Uri Caine and I Virtuosi Italiani. In 2024, Antonella Ruggiero performed Sacrarmonia with the Arkè String Quartet and the Cappella Musicale of the Cathedral of Florence.
