Carla Fracci and Massimo Murru in Roland Petit’s ‘Cheri’

ByGramilano Reading Time: 1 minute

As is laid to rest, here is an image from one of his last full-length ballets, Chéri, created for at Teatro alla Scala in .

This photograph, by Lucia Baldini, was taken in September 1999 at Teatro San Carlo in Naples. The scene, with , is part of a long and extraordinarily beautiful pas de deux where the mature object of Chéri’s affections tries to resist his youthful passion. Here, Carla Fracci was 63 years-old and Murru 27.

Cheri Petit Fracci Murru

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Graham Spicer, aka 'Gramilano', is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.

Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.

He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.

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