Riccardo Nova’s feature-length work Mahābhārata deals with the Indian epic of the same name. With its over 100,000 double verses, the Mahābhārata is one of the longest poems in the world and tells the story of a conflict between two rival families. The complex epic is about the rule of the kingdom of Kurukshetra and the famous Battle of Kurukshetra, in which almost all the warriors of both sides were killed. However, the Mahābhārata contains not only these epic storylines, but also many sub-stories dealing with topics such as religion, ethics, philosophy and spirituality. With its profound examination of Hinduism and its various aspects, the epic offers a unique perspective on human existence and its challenges. Riccardo Nova’s Mahābhārata (mantras, fights and threnody) is part of a large-scale trilogy and was premiered in 2022 at the Philharmonie Essen with soloists Varijashree Venugopal, Guru Prasanna and B.C. Manjunath conducted by Peter Rundel. This year the concert comes to Italy for the first time in the prestigious venue of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, one of the newest and most state-of-the-art theatres in Europe for opera and symphonic music.