Carla Fracci’s photo album: opening night at La Scala
One of the most elegant evenings of the Italian cultural calendar wouldn’t be complete without one of the Italian artists who symbolises elegance: Carla Fracci.
The ballerina, who grew up through the La Scala ballet school and had countless triumphs on its stage, is, surprisingly, no longer involved in the artistic life of the theatre, but is always present for the famous opening of the Opera and Ballet Season on 7 December. This year she was the guest of the energy company ENEL and Francesco Storace, the company’s Chief Executive Officer and General Manager.
This year also marks the opening of the Milan Expo 2015 season (Carla Fracci is an ambassador for the event) when La Scala will put on extra performances for the millions who will visit the city next year: there will be more than 300 performances in total during the next twelve months.
La Fracci – who either casually or purposely said nothing about the production – commented,
It is marvellous music, so moving. At times, during the evening, I just closed my eyes and let myself be filled with Beethoven’s melodies. Fidelio is a beautiful opera, with a profound meaning.
A Night at the Opera
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.
