• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Gramilano logo 2023

- dance, opera, photography...

  • HOME
  • POPULAR POSTS
    • DANCE
    • MUSIC & OPERA
    • PHOTOGRAPHY
  • QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
    • DANCERS
    • SINGERS
  • MY PHOTOS
  • CONTACT

Preview of the sumptuous new Madama Butterfly at La Scala

3 December 2016 by Gramilano 2 Comments

Madama Butterfly Dress Rehearsal Brescia & Amisano Teatro alla Scala 01

The opening of an opera season is an important event at any opera house, but at La Scala it is indeed something special. It is always on 7 December, Milan's saint's day. St Ambrose was the bishop of Milan in the 4th century, highly influential, and became one of the four fathers of the Catholic Church together with Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Augustine, and Saint Jerome. He built one of the most ancient churches in Milan, the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, which is one of the most important items on the tourist itinerary.

Madama Butterfly Dress Rehearsal Brescia & Amisano Teatro alla Scala 06

The opening at La Scala is attended by presidents and prime ministers, movie stars and, hopefully, a few opera fans too – not that movie stars and presidents cannot also be opera lovers, of course. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Grace Kelly, Aristotle Onassis, and Claudette Colbert have all graced the famous auditorium which is decked out with extraordinary floral decorations for the opening.

Madama Butterfly Dress Rehearsal Brescia & Amisano Teatro alla Scala 07

Furs, such as Taylor wore, are no longer seen, though a few egg-throwing years were needed to change that. Also, the diamonds are scarcer in keeping with the current economic climate. That won't stop the usual protests which use the event as a useful platform to publicise discontent.

Madama Butterfly Dress Rehearsal Brescia & Amisano Teatro alla Scala 04

There may be less discontent among the public this year as Alvis Hermanis's Madama Butterfly is unlikely to ruffle many feathers with its seemingly ‘traditional' approach. Boos and whistles have greeted many recent openings, such as Emma Dante's Carmen in 2009 and the 2013 La Traviata by Dmitri Tcherniakov. Certainly, these photos are mouth-wateringly beautiful. Alvis Hermanis designed the sets together with Leila Fteita, and the costumes are by Kristine Jurjane.

Madama Butterfly Dress Rehearsal Brescia & Amisano Teatro alla Scala 03

4 December, sees a preview performance for Under-30s, and performances start on 7 December.

Madama Butterfly Dress Rehearsal Brescia & Amisano Teatro alla Scala 02

Riccardo Chailly will conduct the original, 1904 version of the score, commissioned from Puccini by La Scala. Maria José Siri, Brian Hymel and Carlos Alvarez lead the cast.

Madama Butterfly Dress Rehearsal Brescia & Amisano Teatro alla Scala 08

Madama Butterfly Dress Rehearsal Brescia & Amisano Teatro alla Scala 05
Madama Butterfly Dress Rehearsal Brescia & Amisano Teatro alla Scala 09

Interview with Riccardo Chailly on Madama Butterfly.

All photos Madama Butterfly Dress Rehearsal © Brescia & Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2016

Graham Spicer version
Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.

Related

Filed Under: music & opera Tagged With: La Scala, Madama Butterfly, Maria José Siri, Riccardo Chailly

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar of Noelle VirginiaNoelle Virginia says

    3 December 2016 at 16:13

    These sets look so very beautiful and from reading Mr Chailly’s interview, I do wish Santa could visit me early and transport me to the first night!

    Reply
  2. Avatar of Magda De La VegaMagda De La Vega says

    4 December 2016 at 13:17

    I like…..!!!!

    Reply

Post a comment...Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

SUBSCRIBE

Gramilano newsletter 2019

CATEGORIES

FOLLOW

  • 21,200 Subscribers
  • 22,866 Followers
  • 235k Followers
  • 602 Subscribers
  • 3,473 Followers
  • 20,023 Followers

NEWS

[Review] Eun-Me Ahn’s ‘Dragons – “Like a large plate of tasteless food”

A final bow for Russell Janzen: From Danseur Noble to creating Contemporary Ballet

World premiere of film of Kenneth MacMillan’s Sea of Troubles

Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands embarks on six-month UK tour

The Royal Ballet celebrates Bronislava Nijinska in free livestream

Phoenix Dance Theatre appoints Marcus Jarrell Willis as new artistic director

Prison cancels opera about violent gangster and gay composer Ivor Novello

Scottish Ballet’s Twice-Born double bill in rehearsal

SlowDancing/NYCB – hyper slow-motion films of New York City Ballet dancers in NYC

There’s a new Nutcracker in town – Drew McOnie’s vision will open at the Tuff Nutt Jazz Club

POPULAR MUSIC POSTS

Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch © Lena Wunderlich, Sony Classical

Jonas Kaufmann on his Verona debut, new album, and love of Italy

Joyce DiDonato answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

Anna Netrebko, photo by Ruven Afanador

Interview with Anna Netrebko on Tosca at La Scala: kissing, killing, and Kabaivanska

Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov in cover art for the Romanza album

Interview with Anna Netrebko on her son, his autism and his abandonment by his father Erwin Schrott

The Man I Love – was George Gershwin gay?

Maria Callas, The Exhibition – the life of La Divina on display in Verona

Werther ONP 2010 Decca © Christine Cerletti, aus Jonas Kaufmann, Eine Bilderreise, VfmK, ISBN 9783903269750

Jonas Kaufmann: A Picture Journey – a glorious new book celebrates the tenor’s 50th birthday in photos

Cecilia Bartoli triumphs at La Scala amidst catcalls and boos

Young mezzo Lilly Jørstad wins important grant from her ‘homeland’

La Scala Recital and Concert Season 2016-2017 – full dates and interpreters

More Posts from this Category

FEATURED POSTS

The Tricks of the Trocks: powder, ice and pointe shoes

Vadim Muntagirov answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition

English National Ballet in Derek Deane's Swan Lake, photo by ASH, Arnaud Stephenson, 2013

Derek Deane on 20 years of his Swan Lake ‘in the round’

In and Out: Bolle, Gomes, Stiefel – how easy is it to be an openly gay ballet dancer?

Romeo and Juliet with Sergei Polunin

Sergei Polunin on sex change, his new girlfriend, and manning up

Thomas Hampson by Jiyang Chen

Thomas Hampson answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

Nunez headshot cropped

In conversation with Marianela Nuñez

Steven McRae by Rick Guest crop

The Royal Ballet’s Steven McRae on injury: turning weakness into strength

António Casalinho, photo by Nikita Alba crop

António Casalinho – Introducing the 17-year-old Portuguese Dancer

Lawrence Brownlee & Michael Spyres crop

[Interview] Michael Spyres and Lawrence Brownlee on their new Rossini album

GRAMILANO

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan, aka ‘Gramilano’. 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. He wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.

Since 2022, Gramilano is pleased to welcome guest authors: Alisa Alekseeva, Paul Arrowsmith, Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel, Jonathan Gray, Marina Harss, Matthew Paluch, Jann Parry, Graham Watts, and Deborah Weiss.

Referred-to-by

SEARCH

Related

Copyright © 2023 · Gramilano · All rights reserved

about me · contact me · privacy and cookies

Would you like to receive an email
whenever we publish a new post?

SUBSCRIBE