The curse of the La Scala recital series? Barenboim bows out
Ok, the headline is a bit over the top, but the vocal recitals at La Scala have been having a spot of bad luck recently, especially seeing that there are only seven recitals each season.
Just over a year ago Daniela Barcellona gave a concert postponed from January because of a ‘sudden illness’. Diana Damrau, having moved a recital to 21 October 2012 because of illness, then cancelled the new date because of her pregnancy. There was no further scheduling, and subscription series ticket holders found a cheque in the post. Three weeks later in November, Rolando Villazón cancelled due to a tracheitis; here there was no talk of rescheduling and, hey presto, another cheque. Now Daniel Barenboim has had to pull out of his recital with Barbara Frittoli.
A statement from Teatro alla Scala reads:
A fall on his back last October has caused Maestro Daniel Barenboim some difficulty in his movements which has, with time, caused him severe pain in his right hip and leg. Since October Il Maestro has been able to fulfil all his commitments. However, the continuing problem requires that Maestro Barenboim receives intensive medical treatment in Berlin. Therefore he will be unable to perform in Barbara Frittoli’s recital, and will miss the first three performances of Götterdämmerung, but he is confident that he will be able to resume work at the end of May.
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 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.
These mishaps are unfortunate but completely understandable. It does seem like quite a spate of cancellations all the same. Good luck, my beloved Mlianese.