La Scala, Milan: Opera and Recital Season 2018 – 2019
OPERA SEASON 2018 – 2019
La Scala announced its 2018-2019 Opera season today with 15 titles, nine of which are new productions, and two are La Scala premieres.
At the heart of the season remains the Italian repertoire, continuing with the cycle of works of Verdi, Puccini, Verismo (which will return in 2020 with Giordano’s Fedora and Montemezzi’s L’amore dei tre re), and the Belcanto.
Verdi’s Attila opens the 2018-2019 season with Riccardo Chailly conducting a new production by Davide Livermore, which is the second title of a triptych on his early operas which began with Giovanna d’Arco and will finish with Macbeth. The opening performance on 7 December will be broadcast live on Italy’s main TV channel, RAI1. The eponymous title role will be played by Ildar Abdrazakov, and the exciting new talent Saioa Hernández is Odabella.
4 December 2018 Young People’s Preview
7, 11, 14, 18, 21 December 2018; 2, 5, 8 January 2019
Giuseppe Verdi
ATTILA
Conductor Riccardo Chailly
Director Davide Livermore
Sets Giò Forma and Davide Livermore
Costumes Gianluca Falaschi
Lighting Antonio Castro
Cast
Attila Ildar Abdrazakov, Odabella Saioa Hernández, Ezio Simone Piazzola,
Foresto Fabio Sartori, Uldino Francesco Pittari, Leone Gianluca Buratto
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala
New production Teatro alla Scala
11, 13, 16, 19, 22, 27 January; 2, 5, 8 February; 12, 14, 17 March 2019
Giuseppe Verdi
LA TRAVIATA
Conductor Myung-Whun Chung
Director Liliana Cavani
Sets Dante Ferretti
Costumes Gabriella Pescucci
Choreography Micha Van Hoecke
Lighting Marco Filibeck
Cast
Violetta Marina Rebeka / Sonya Yoncheva,
Alfredo Germont Francesco Meli / Benjamin Bernheim,
Giorgio Germont Leo Nucci / Plácido Domingo,
Flora Chiara Isotton, Gastone Riccardo Dalla Sciucca,
Barone Douphol Costantino Finucci, Marchese Riccardo Fassi, Dr Grenvil Alessandro Spina
Chorus, Corps de Ballet and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala
Teatro alla Scala production
10, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26 February; 23, 27, 30 March; 2, 5 April 2019
Gioachino Rossini
LA CENERENTOLA
Conductor Ottavio Dantone
Director, Sets and Costumes Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Restaging Director Grischa Asagaroff
Cast
Angelina Marianne Crebassa, Don Ramiro Maxim Mironov, Don Magnifico Carlos Chausson, Dandini Nicola Alaimo / Mattia Olivieri, Alidoro Erwin Schrott / Alessandro Spina
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala
Teatro alla Scala production
27 February; 3, 6, 13, 19, 24, 29 March 2019
Modest Petrovič Musorgskij
CHOVANŠČINA
Conductor Valery Gergiev
Director Mario Martone
Sets Margherita Palli
Costumes Ursula Patzak
Lighting Pasquale Mari
Cast
Ivan Chovanskij Mikhail Petrenko, Marfa Ekaterina Semenchuk,
Andrej Chovanskij Sergei Skorokhodov, Emma Evgenia Muraveva,
Vasilij Golicyn Evgeny Akimov, Fëdor Šaklovityj Alexey Markov,
Dosifej Stanislav Trofimov, Uno scrivano Maxim Paster
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala
New production Teatro alla Scala
31 March; 3, 6, 9, 13, 16, 19, 24, 27 April 2019
Giacomo Puccini
MANON LESCAUT
Conductor Riccardo Chailly
Director David Pountney
Sets Leslie Travers
Costumes Marie-Jeanne Lecca
Choreography Denni Sayers
Lighting Fabrice Kebour
Cast
Manon Maria José Siri, Des Grieux Marcelo Álvarez, Lescaut Massimo Cavalletti,
Geronte Carlo Lepore, Edmondo Alessandro Scotto Di Luzio,
Il maestro di ballo Manuel Pierattelli, Lampionaio Francesco Pittari
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala
New production Teatro alla Scala
23, 26, 28, 30 April; 2, 5 May; 19, 22 June 2019
ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
Conductor Franz Welser-Möst
Director Frederic Wake-Walker
Sets and Costumes Jamie Vartan
Cast
Ariadne Krassimira Stoyanova / Tamara Wilson, Zerbinetta Sabine Devieilhe / Brenda Rae,
Der Komponist Daniela Sindram, Najade Eva Liebau, Dryade Anna-Doris Capitelli,
Echo Regula Mühlemann, Bacchus Michael Koenig, Ein Musiklehrer Markus Werba,
Harlekin Thomas Tatzl / Gabriel Bermudez, Brighella Pavel Kolgatin,
Scaramuccio Kresimir Spicer, Truffaldin Tobias Kehrer,
Der Haushofmeister Alexander Pereira
Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
New production Teatro alla Scala
16, 19, 22, 25, 29 May; 1, 3, 5 June 2019
IDOMENEO
Conductor Christoph von Dohnányi
Director Matthias Hartmann
Sets Volker Hintermeier
Cast
Idomeneo Bernard Richter, Elektra Federica Lombardi, Idamante Michèle Losier,
Ilia Julia Kleiter, Gran Sacerdote Kresimir Spicer
Coro, Corpo di Ballo e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala
New production Teatro alla Scala
28, 31 May; 4, 7, 11, 14, 17 June 2019
Eric Wolfgang Korngold
DIE TOTE STADT
Teatro alla Scala premiere
Conductor Alan Gilbert
Director Graham Vick
Sets and Costumes Stuart Nunn
Lighting Giuseppe Di Iorio
Cast
Paul Klaus Florian Vogt, Marietta Asmik Grigorian,
Frank/Fritz Markus Werba, Brigitta Kismara Pessatti
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala
New production Teatro alla Scala
18, 21, 24, 28 June; 1, 4, 7 July 2019
Giuseppe Verdi
I MASNADIERI
Conductor Michele Mariotti
Director David McVicar
Sets Charles Edwards
Costumes Brigitte Reiffenstuel
Movimenti coreografici Jo Meredith
Lighting Adam Silverman
Cast
Massimiliano Michele Pertusi, Carlo Fabio Sartori, Francesco Massimo Cavalletti,
Amalia to confirm, Moser Alessandro Spina
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala
New production Teatro alla Scala
6, 8, 10, 15, 17, 19 July 2019
Academy Project
Antonio Salieri
PRIMA LA MUSICA POI LE PAROLE
Conductor Ádám Fischer
Director Nicola Raab
Cast
Il compositore Ambrogio Maestri
With soloists from the Teatro alla Scala Academy
New production Teatro alla Scala
Giacomo Puccini
GIANNI SCHICCHI
Conductor Ádám Fischer
Director Woody Allen
Assistant to Woody Allen, Kathleen Smith Belcher
Sets and Costumes Santo Loquasto
Lighting York Kennedy
Cast
Gianni Schicchi Ambrogio Maestri
With soloists from the Teatro alla Scala Academy
Produzione Los Angeles Opera
Coro e Orchestra dell’Accademia Teatro alla Scala
2, 5, 7, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 22 September 2019
Academy Project
Giuseppe Verdi
RIGOLETTO
Conductor Nello Santi
Director Gilbert Deflo
Sets Ezio Frigerio
Costumes Franca Squarciapino
Movement Gildo Cassani
Lighting Marco Filibeck
Cast
Rigoletto Leo Nucci
With soloists from the Teatro alla Scala Academy
Chorus, students from the La Scala Ballet School and Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala Academy
Teatro alla Scala production
10, 14, 21, 23, 25, 27 September; 1, 4, 7, 10 October 2019
Gaetano Donizetti
L’ELISIR D’AMORE
Conductor Michele Gamba
Director Grischa Asagaroff
Sets and Costumes Tullio Pericoli
Cast
Adina Rosa Feola, Nemorino René Barbera / Vittorio Grigolo,
Dulcamara Ambrogio Maestri, Belcore Massimo Cavalletti,
Accompagnatore di Dulcamara Stefano Guizzi
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala
Teatro alla Scala production
2 October 2019 Young People’s Preview
5, 11, 14, 17, 19, 22 October 2019
Luca Francesconi
QUARTETT
Conductor Maxime Pascal
Director Alex Ollé – La Fura dels Baus
Sets Lluc Castells
Costumes Alfons Flores
Lighting Alex Ollé e Marco Filibeck
Video Franc Aleu
Cast
Marquise de Merteuil Allison Cook, Vicomte de Valmont Robin Adams
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala
Teatro alla Scala production
18, 21, 25, 28, 31 October; 5, 7 November 2019
Georg Friedrich Händel
GIULIO CESARE
Conductor Giovanni Antonini
Director Robert Carsen
Sets and Costumes Gideon Davey
Choreography Rebecca Howell
Lighting Peter van Praet and Robert Carsen
Drammaturgo Ian Burton
Cast
Giulio Cesare Bejun Mehta, Cleopatra Cecilia Bartoli, Cornelia Sara Mingardo,
Sesto Pompeo Philippe Jaroussky, Tolomeo Christophe Dumaux, Achilla Christian Senn
Teatro alla Scala Orchestra on period instruments
New production Teatro alla Scala
9, 12, 15, 20, 23, 26, 29 November 2019
Richard Strauss
DIE ÄGYPTISCHE HELENA
Teatro alla Scala premiere
Conductor Franz Welser-Möst
Director Sven-Eric Bechtolf
Sets Julian Crouch
Costumes Mark Bouman
Cast
Helena Ricarda Merbeth, Menelas Andreas Schager, Aithra Eva Mei,
Altair Thomas Hampson, Da-Ud Attilio Glaser
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala
New production Teatro alla Scala
RECITAL SEASON 2018-2019
14 January 2019
Baritone
Christian Gerhaher
Pianoforte
Gerold Huber
Schubert Winterreise
27 January 2019
Mezzosoprano
Marianne Crebassa
Pianoforte
Fazil Say
Ravel, Debussy, Fauré, Satie, Duparc, Say
24 February 2019
Tenor
Fabio Sartori
Pianoforte
Mzia Bachtouridze
Rossini, Verdi, Leoncavallo, Mascagni, Tosti
4 March 2019
Baritone
Luca Salsi
Pianoforte
Beatrice Benzi
Salieri, Beethoven, Donizetti, Liszt, Respighi, Verdi
17 March 2019
Soprano
Krassimira Stoyanova
Pianoforte
Ludmil Angelov
Verdi, Puccini, Catalani, Cilea, Mascagni, Tchaikovsky, Hadjiev
20 May 2019
Soprano
Jessica Pratt
Pianoforte
Vincenzo Scalera
Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Arditi, Strauss
16 June 2019
Bass
Günther Groissböck
Pianoforte
Gerold Huber
Brahms, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov
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.
