In 2016, Mary Garret walked through the artists’ entrance at La Scala, ready to take daily class again with the company that had fired her four years previously.The ballerina Mariafrancesca Garritano, who writes under the name of Garret, wrote a book where she reflected on the nature of stringent diets … Continue reading
RECENT POSTS
Jurgita Dronina to become Lead Principal Dancer with English National Ballet
Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, has announced that Principal Dancer Jurgita Dronina will become a Lead Principal Dancer with English National Ballet next season. Dronina will remain … Continue reading
Interview with Steven McRae and Takafumi Adachi, creators of ‘Ballet Hero Fantasy’, now available in English
While the phrase “Ballet Hero Fantasy featuring Steven McRae" may conjure up images of a red-haired Byronic smoulderer in tights, sweeping you off your feet, and down into a fish dive, as his lips brush sensuously … Continue reading
Founder of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, violinist Bronislaw Huberman, died 70 years ago today
Seventy years ago, on 16 June 1947, virtuoso violinist Bronislaw Huberman died at 64. He founded the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra by bringing Jewish musicians from Nazi Europe to Palestine, giving refuge to 1,000 … Continue reading
Great musicologist Philip Gossett remembered by his colleagues and friends
Philip Gossett called himself “a fan, a musician and a scholar,” in that order.The great music scholar, who died yesterday in Chicago at the age of 75, saw himself first and foremost as a fan. It was his love … Continue reading
Royal Ballet ballerina stages starry gala in memory of her mother
Emma Maguire is a Soloist of The Royal Ballet. She lost her mother, Ann, a teacher, when she was stabbed to death in front of her class by a 15-year-old pupil at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds. Her murder, … Continue reading
Photo Album: English National Ballet’s Emerging Dancer Award 2017
Rina Kanehara and Aitor Arrieta were announce as joint winners of English National Ballet's 2017 Emerging Dancer Award, at the end of last month.Finalists performed a pas de deux and a contemporary solo in … Continue reading
RECENT DANCE POSTS
Zenaida Yanowsky’s final curtain call
After 23 years with The Royal Ballet, last night Zenaida Yanowsky gave her final curtain call on the Covent Garden stage.Her final … Continue reading
Ballet dancer Sergei Vikharev died in his dentist’s chair
Sergei Vikharev, the former Russian dancer renowned for his reconstruction of ballets and who died last Friday at 55, will be celebrated in the … Continue reading
Bolshoi Ballet in cinema 2017-2018
The Bolshoi have released their cinema screening programme for the next season. Four are live broadcasts and four have already been transmitted. … Continue reading
Proscaenium’s Gran Gala with the best of Italy’s dancing talent
Gramilano has already written about Cincia Puricelli’s dancing school Proscaenium, which is based in Gallarate, a town near Milan’s Malpensa … Continue reading
English National Ballet’s new Lead Principal: San Francisco’s Aaron Robison
English National Ballet will welcome Aaron Robison as Lead Principal.Robison is currently a Principal with San Francisco Ballet. He will join … Continue reading
Photo album of tonight’s Royal Ballet programme with Zenaida Yanowsky and Roberto Bolle as Marguerite and Armand
In a few minutes, the curtain goes up at The Royal Opera house of a mixed programme of Frederick Ashton gems. It is a special evening because … Continue reading
RECENT MUSIC & OPERA POSTS
Jeffrey Tate dies of a heart attack at 74 at the Accademia Carrara gallery in Bergamo
Jeffrey Tate has died of a heart attack while visiting the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, to the east of Milan. He was 74.At 2 o'clock, near … Continue reading
La Scala Concert Season 2017 – 2018
Opera and Recital Season 2017 - 2018 Ballet Season 2017 - 2018Symphonic 14, 16, 19 October 2017 Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla … Continue reading
La Scala, Milan: Opera and Recital Season 2017 – 2018
A pleasing new season at La Scala seems to tick all the right boxes, with half the programming dedicated to the Italian repertoire, some … Continue reading
1000s of unseen Giuseppe Verdi autograph scores and letters from his home archive are scanned for public access
Giuseppe Verdi bought Villa Verdi in 1848 and it still belongs to his descendants. He moved in with his future wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, in … Continue reading
Robert Carsen’s jewel of a Don Giovanni sparkles again at La Scala
Robert Carsen created a jewel of a production for La Scala when he mounted a new Don Giovanni for the opening of the opera season in 2011. It is … Continue reading
Claudio Monteverdi, opera’s first master, was born 450 years ago
Two events make 1567 a watershed year in the history of music's relationship to words. In Rome, Palestrina (c. 1525- 1594), the greatest master … Continue reading