Valentina Cortese died this morning in her home in Milan – she was 96.The great Italian actress had been confined to a wheelchair for several years but was still receiving friends in her beautiful house in Piazza Sant'Erasmo.Her first important film role was in the 1948 Italian film Les Misérables with the young Marcello Mastroianni (she played … [Read more...] about Italian actress Valentina Cortese dies at 96
music & opera
La Scala mourns the death of a tenor with a minute’s silence and moving trumpet solo
Before the final performance of I masnadieri at La Scala yesterday evening, the curtain rose on a crowded set with the chorus, soloists, technicians and other backstage theatre workers, together with the director of the chorus, Bruno Casoni, and the intendant of the theatre, Alexander Periera. They were there to pay their respects to tenor Giuseppe Bellanca, a member of the … [Read more...] about La Scala mourns the death of a tenor with a minute’s silence and moving trumpet solo
Interview with contralto Delphine Galou: “making music together with love”
Two new recordings for Naïve's Vivaldi Edition have just been released by the Accademia Bizantina, conducted by Ottavio Dantone. These albums are the 59th and 60th in the series which aims to record the entire archive of Vivaldi’s work – nearly 450 works – housed in the Italian National Library in Turin.French contralto Delphine Galou is the soloist on both albums: Musica … [Read more...] about Interview with contralto Delphine Galou: “making music together with love”
Günther Groissböck at La Scala – triumphant with caution
Günther Groissböck’s entrance at La Scala for his recital was formal and perfectly polite, but gave away nothing about the man; and so it was during the first group of Leid by Brahms, the Vier ernste Gesänge (Four Serious Songs). His unforced bass completely submitted to his will and – aside from some small cracks which seemed to indicate the tail end of a cold – was entirely … [Read more...] about Günther Groissböck at La Scala – triumphant with caution
“Don’t abandon me” – Cecilia Bartoli cancels three operas at La Scala
A series of emails between Cecilia Bartoli’s husband, Oliver Widmer, and the Intendant of La Scala, Alexander Pereira, confirm that the singer has withdrawn from all three Handel operas that were chosen as part of a project that she helped cultivate.Dear Alexander, Cecilia is shocked by the decision not to extend your contract. In these circumstances, she does not believe … [Read more...] about “Don’t abandon me” – Cecilia Bartoli cancels three operas at La Scala
Cecilia Bartoli pulls out of her Baroque project at La Scala in October
Cecilia Bartoli has cancelled her participation in the baroque trilogy at La Scala, which was created around her. The project will present three Handel operas over the next three seasons, in the autumn of 2019 (Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare in Egitto), 2020 (Semele) and 2021 (Ariodante).When tickets went on sale yesterday for Robert Carsen’s new production of Giulio Cesare … [Read more...] about Cecilia Bartoli pulls out of her Baroque project at La Scala in October
Paolo Bordogna answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… singers’ edition
Q&Ain italianoWhen did you start singing? On the staircase of my apartment building, there was an echo that added force to my voice; I listened to it as though it were my voice. It was perhaps a way to conquer my shyness.Why did you start singing? One of my classmates invited me to join a choir and I was struck by the miracle with which so many different voices … [Read more...] about Paolo Bordogna answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… singers’ edition
Alek Shrader directs Dido & Aeneas in the Catacombs of New York
Henry Purcell's Dido & Aeneas will be presented in the Catacombs of the Green-Wood Cemetery, in Brooklyn, New York, with performances from 4 – 8 June. The run will launch the second season of the The Angel’s Share series, which continues until October.Tenor Alek Shrader will be directing and he’s chosen to incorporate spoken dialogue from Christopher Marlowe's play Dido, … [Read more...] about Alek Shrader directs Dido & Aeneas in the Catacombs of New York
La Scala, Milan: Opera and Recital Season 2019 – 2020
After Riccardo Chailly opens the season with Tosca, continuing the cycle of works by Puccini, he will conduct his first Strauss opera, as well as the complete Beethoven symphonies. Zubin Mehta will conduct two Verdi operas as well as Luigi Nonno’s Intolleranza which will be performed at La Scala for the first time. Handel's Semele will also receive its first staged performance … [Read more...] about La Scala, Milan: Opera and Recital Season 2019 – 2020
Jessica Pratt at La Scala – the recital platform is a harsh judge
Jessica Pratt must be a nice woman: a feet-on-the-floor, smiley, let’s-get-this-job-done kind of girl. Her recital at La Scala felt like watching your sis’ on stage. In fact, a lot of the audience were obviously friends or people who thought of her as a friend, and there was a standing ovation at the end which doesn’t happen in Milan unless, maybe, it’s a farewell performance … [Read more...] about Jessica Pratt at La Scala – the recital platform is a harsh judge