Giorgio Strehler’s famous production of Falstaff returns to La Scala and will be live streamed
The 1980 production of Falstaff by the legendary Italian director Giorgio Strehler and designer Ezio Frigerio, returns to La Scala where it will be conducted by Daniele Gatti, who hasn’t conducted an opera in Milan since 2017. Gatti was a spectator in the upper gallery at La Scala for the production’s 1980 debut.
Gatti says, “Falstaff is unique and there is nothing like it that precedes it or follows it, except perhaps for Gianni Schicchi. It remains a wonderful one-off, which was not even presaged by Aida and Otello. Its structure, the flow of the music, and the treatment of the voices are unprecedented. There are still some moments that are “arias”: Falstaff’s monologue; the aria “Quand’ero paggio del duca di Norfolk”, is one of the shortest ever written [60 seconds]; and again, in the last scene the two solos by Fenton (the sonnet) and Nannetta (as queen of the fairies). However, although they are closed pieces, they are structured in a new way, as moments of suspension. It is also interesting that the two young characters are the only real recipients of the traditional structures.”
A first-rate cast includes Ambrogio Maestri, Rosa Feola, Luca Micheletti, Marianna Pizzolato, Juan Francisco Gatell, Martina Belli and Rosalia Cid.
Ambrogio Maestri returns in the title role, who was Falstaff at La Scala with Riccardo Muti in 2001 and 2004, with Daniel Harding in 2013 and with Zubin Mehta in 2017.
“With Muti, I built the character for almost a year,” says Maestri, “with care and patience that no longer exists. Basically, I had La Scala at my disposal for a year, or rather, for a year they invested time and energy in me. To physically build the character they did not neglect anything. [French mime artist] Marise Flach – who collaborated for many years with Strehler – worked with me. He was a master in the art of physical expression. He made me rehearse and rehearse, even with things like how I got up from my chair or how I opened a door. Why? Because it was clear that at that time I was doing it like a thirty-year-old. Today, now that I am 54, everything comes more naturally to me.”
There are seven performances of Falstaff, from 16 January to 7 February.
On 29 January 2025, Falstaff will be broadcast live on LaScalaTv.
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.
I think there is a mistaken link here. I clicked on a review of ‘Ballet Nights’ and saw a review of ‘Falstaff’.