La Scala announces that Kaufmann is indisposed as he sings in Naples

ByGramilano 4 December 20206 July 2024 Reading Time: 2 minutes

Jonas Kaufmann photo by Marco Brescia %C2%A9 Teatro alla Scala — Jonas Kaufmann, photo by Marco Brescia © Teatro alla Scala

While Jonas Kaufmann is singing during the concert performance of Cavalleria Rusticana to open the season at Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Teatro alla Scala in Milan sends out a press release. For its season-opening on Monday, 7 December, Kaufmann was down to sing ‘Nessun dorma’ during a starry opera and ballet gala. Both events in Naples and Milan, are without an audience but streamed via Facebook (Naples) and on almost all the other platforms (Milan).

La Scala‘s press release says that Kaufmann has said, “with great regret”, that he cannot participate in the gala because he is indisposed.

For a theatre to send out a communication at 9pm, when La Scala’s event will be streamed (in most of Europe) free of charge, and no one has booked tickets, planes and hotels to come to Milan to see him, suggests that the theatre is somewhat irritated to have lost one of the biggest names from the evening to open its season.

Piotr Beczała, who is already participating in the gala in Milan with ‘La fleur que tu m’avais jetée’ from Carmen, will substitute for Kaufmann and also sing the aria from Turandot.

Gramilano

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.