The Ravello Festival 2025: A Celebration of Music, Landscape, and Legacy
Perched high above the glittering coastline of southern Italy, surrounded by the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, lies Ravello—a town whose soul is inseparable from the arts, and whose gardens once inspired Richard Wagner. Every summer, this town becomes the stage for one of Europe’s most enchanting musical celebrations: the Ravello Festival. Now entering its 73rd edition, the 2025 Festival promises another extraordinary journey into sound, memory, and imagination.
A Festival Rooted in History
The Ravello Festival was born in 1953, with the aim of paying tribute to Wagner, who visited the town in 1880 and drew inspiration from the lush gardens of Villa Rufolo. He is said to have envisioned them as the mythical garden of Klingsor in Parsifal. Since then, the festival has evolved into a multifaceted cultural event, hosting world-class orchestras, celebrated soloists, and avant-garde projects, while maintaining a dialogue between music, landscape, and spiritual reflection.
The 2025 Edition of the Ravello Festival
From July 6 to August 25, the 2025 edition will feature 15 concerts.
The festival opens with the performance by Jérémie Rhorer and his ensemble Le Cercle de l’Harmonie. With works by Wagner and Berlioz, the evening pays homage to Romanticism in a city deeply connected to the movement.
July 11 brings a heartwarming return of the Uniting Voices Chicago, a renowned youth choir dedicated to musical excellence and social inclusion, followed by a weekend of orchestral brilliance.
On July 12, Daniel Harding leads the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia through a rich Germanic program, while on July 13, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra shares the stage with global piano sensation Yuja Wang, who will also conduct—a performance likely to be one of the season’s standouts.
Myung-Whun Chung plays on July 19 with the Filarmonica della Scala, presenting Beethoven and Brahms alongside rising star Mao Fujita. The following evening, pianist Filippo Gorini offers a more introspective recital, moving from Kurtág to Schumann and Schubert.
On July 25, Wagner returns in full orchestral form with the SWR Symphonieorchester Stuttgart performing Der Ring ohne Worte, a symphonic adaptation of the Ring Cycle created by Lorin Maazel.
Jazz, Crossovers, and Cultural Bridges
Starting July 31, the festival shifts into jazz and crossover territory.
A tribute to Oscar Peterson features an all-star piano lineup: Stefano Bollani, Dado Moroni, and Danilo Rea. The next night, vocalist Roberta Gambarini honors Ella Fitzgerald with the Salerno Jazz Orchestra, while Richard Galliano and his bandoneón bring tango and French flair on August 2.
August 3 sees a celebration of young talent: Diego Ceretta conducts the Benevento Philharmonic with Ettore Pagano, an award-winning cellist, delivering a program ranging from Rossini to Beethoven.
Ravello Festiva: the Iconic Dawn Concert
What sets Ravello apart from other European festivals is not only its lineup but its setting: concerts are held on the Belvedere di Villa Rufolo, an open-air stage suspended between sky and sea, offering audiences breathtaking views that rival the sounds being performed.
Among the most anticipated events each year is the Concerto all’Alba (Dawn Concert), scheduled this year for Monday, August 11 at 5:15 AM. With the first rays of sun illuminating the Amalfi Coast, the Giuseppe Verdi Philharmonic of Salerno, led by Giuseppe Mengoli, will perform Wagner, Grieg, and Tchaikovsky—a moving ritual that encapsulates the magic of Ravello.
A Grand Finale for the Festival
The final days of the festival bring a crescendo of international excellence.
On August 22, the Dresdner Philharmonie with Kent Nagano and mezzo-soprano Annika Schlicht presents Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder and Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony.
August 24 features tenor Michael Spyres and Il Pomo d’Oro, diving into baroque rarities in an exclusive Italian performance of the acclaimed program Contra-Tenor.
The curtain falls on August 25 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko, performing cinematic works by Korngold and John Williams, alongside Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade—a fitting finale for a festival that celebrates storytelling through sound.
Beyond the Music of the Ravello Festival
A key innovation in 2025 is the launch of pre-concert talks in Ravello’s historic hotels—Caruso, Palazzo Avino, and Rufolo—featuring critics, musicians, and scholars. These conversations will enrich audience understanding, with translations for international guests, reinforcing Ravello’s commitment to cultural dialogue.
Additionally, the festival is unveiling a new visual identity inspired by southern Italy’s rich tradition of decorative citrus wrapping—an homage to the multisensory experience of Ravello, where music, sight, scent, and memory intertwine.
Are you planning to visit the Ravello? Stay in one of our villas for rent on the Amalfi Coast.
