La Scala‘s retiring CEO, Dominique Meyer, is ready to leave after a five-year tenure in Milan. Along with photos and books in his office, he will be taking away his red satin chair, which has a plaque with his name engraved on it, and a passe-partout that opens all the theatre’s boxes, as he already possesses for the opera houses in Vienna and Paris where he worked before. His ‘key to the city’.
This gently spoken man with a kind face has been popular at the opera house, but a new law means that a director cannot remain after their 70th birthday. His successor, Fortunato Ortombina, who will be 65 in May, will therefore have a maximum of one five-year term, and with the next two years already laid out by Meyer, it leaves little scope for development and planning. Ortombina said, in his inauguration speech, that he was the first Scala CEO to have his days numbered.
“I have become very attached to this theatre,” Meyer told the Corriere della Sera. “Perhaps also because of the difficulties we had to overcome together – one sneeze and the theatre would close. The programming had to be continually rearranged, even 14 times one season. I’ll never forget the Requiem in the Duomo with [Sergio] Mattarella [the Italian President]. I’ll never forget that 7th December [usually a starry opening night of the season] with the opera stars only on television. Yet those dark times were the foundation of an honest dialogue with workers and unions.”
Then came the war: “Saying ‘no’ to Gergiev, a friendly conductor, was not easy but it was right. That music can unite people is a romantic vision. I wish it could.”
The theatre is now almost always sold out. “It wasn’t like this before. Sometimes spectators would come down from the gallery so as not to show the empty seats.”
Too many tourists, some say. “Bringing back an international audience was a goal of mine. Tourism creates revenue and those who come to La Scala are part of a tourism of quality. The growing subscription numbers though, show that this doesn’t penalise the Lombards.”
The programming is too popular, say others. “It is not a dirty word. Opera was born as a machine to generate great emotions for everyone. Those who come to La Scala should not have to pass exams, they should be able to access art of the highest quality and understand what they see. If magic strikes, maybe that patron will study later. To make certain opera fans happy – those who are always bored at the theatre – I need to invite those directors who create minor scandals. The result? Four positive reviews against the dissatisfaction of the rest of the audience.”
Meyer arrived in Milan just before Covid struck. “My first real season is the current one, and even more so the next one. Too bad I won’t be around to see it. In Italy, appointments are made at the last minute whereas they should be announced three years in advance so that the new director can start planning. Big names in opera need to be booked well in advance. I leave La Scala with some sadness, but I know that it will be in good hands – Ortombina is a friend and will be an excellent director.”
Then there is Anna Olkhovaya, the teacher of early dance at La Scala’s academy. “I will remain La Scala’s number one fan. It has given me five memorable years but also the most beautiful gift – Anna.”
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.