The first good news about Maggio Musicale festival is that it is still with us, with a new organisation and a life-saving injection of state funding.

The second is that the city’s new theatre, Nuova Teatro dell’Opera di Firenze (Viale Fratelli Rosselli 1), will host most of the concerts, lectures and dance events, although not the opera programme (see Opera section) this season.

More good news is that the dance section, MaggioDa, which was in danger of being axed, now has a new director Davide Bombana and its annual programme will be managed by an external company.

For full of programme see www.operadifirenze.it.