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
Diana Damrau
Diana Damrau sings Wolf and Strauss at La Scala: with pursed lips and a flick of the wrist
Diana Damrau’s warm reception at La Scala was appropriate for a singer who has given so much pleasure to Milanese audiences, beginning with her stratospheric debut as Europa in Salieri’s opera Europa Riconosciuta in 2004 – the opera that reopened the theatre after a major renovation. She has appeared several times on the recital platform – including an enchanting programme … [Read more...] about Diana Damrau sings Wolf and Strauss at La Scala: with pursed lips and a flick of the wrist
Marie Duplessis, at 23, inspired Dumas then Verdi; now 23-year-old Maria Mudryak sings La traviata
La traviata, an opera that has moved audiences to tears since its premiere in Venice in 1853, was based on a true story of prostitution, obsession and love. Marie Duplessis was born in 1824 to a humble family in Nonant-le-Pin, in north-western France. Hers is the classic rags-to-riches story, complete with a mother who died when she was young and an alcoholic father. When … [Read more...] about Marie Duplessis, at 23, inspired Dumas then Verdi; now 23-year-old Maria Mudryak sings La traviata
La Scala, Milan: Opera and Recital Season 2017 – 2018
A pleasing new season at La Scala seems to tick all the right boxes, with half the programming dedicated to the Italian repertoire, some rarities, important international operas and a world premiere. The season will also mark the 40th Anniversary of Riccardo Chailly’s collaboration with the theatre, and the 95th birthday of Franco Zeffirelli. The 2017-2018 Season kicks … [Read more...] about La Scala, Milan: Opera and Recital Season 2017 – 2018
CD review: Diana Damrau in Meyerbeer’s Grand Operas – a diva in her prime
Meyerbeer: GRAND OPERA with Diana Damrau This glorious new album finds Diana Damrau in sparkling, top-notch form. The exacting demands that Meyerbeer makes on the soprano voice are shrugged off by a diva in her prime. Meyerbeer was German (Prussian) by birth, French by adoption, and Italian by formation; a true European. Born Jacob Liebmann Meyer Beer, his first name became … [Read more...] about CD review: Diana Damrau in Meyerbeer’s Grand Operas – a diva in her prime
Diana Damrau in glamorous (faux) fur for her new album, Grand Opera
Diana Damrau’s new album, Grand Opera, shows off the genre at its most grandiose and opulent, with eleven arias and duets by Meyerbeer. On the cover, which comes out in May, she wears suitably grandiose and opulent furs. No, no, calm down... this is not the chinchilla of Caballé back in the '70s, but haute couture fake fur. Fifty years ago they all were photographed in … [Read more...] about Diana Damrau in glamorous (faux) fur for her new album, Grand Opera
Diana Damrau and René Pape at La Scala: deaf-aids, lecterns and the Samsung whistle
Why are La Scala’s recitals like buses? No, it’s not a joke, but after four-months of opera and ballet, there have been two in a week. Once there used to be a recital every month, now recitals at La Scala have become gap fillers, and filling the gaps this week were Diana Damrau and René Pape. Damrau had gamely participated in the open-air Expo concert with Andrea Bocelli … [Read more...] about Diana Damrau and René Pape at La Scala: deaf-aids, lecterns and the Samsung whistle
The Royal Opera and Ballet in Cinema 2015-2016
Romeo and Juliet, 22 September at 7.15pm The Royal Ballet By Kenneth MacMillan Music: Sergey Prokofiev Le nozze di Figaro, 5 October at 6.45pm The Royal Opera Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Dir: David McVicar Cond: Ivor Bolton Cast includes Erwin Schrott and Anita Hartig Viscera / Afternoon of a Faun / Tchaikovsky pas de deux / Carmen, 12 November at 7.15pm The Royal … [Read more...] about The Royal Opera and Ballet in Cinema 2015-2016
600% bounses for La Scala’s musicians but Chailly isn’t happy
You may have already read about the refusal of some La Scala workers to perform Turandot on 1 May being that it is the International Workers' Day. However, it is also the opening day of the Milan Expo, and I doubt that the hotels, restaurants, taxis and other services will be refusing to work. The situation was resolved at the last minute and will go ahead with substantial … [Read more...] about 600% bounses for La Scala’s musicians but Chailly isn’t happy
Luca Ronconi, Italian director of theatre and opera, dies at 81
Italian director Luca Ronconi died yesterday evening in the Policlinico in Milan after a short illness. His health had been poor over the last years, he was on dialysis, and was complicated by pneumonia. He was 81. His collaboration with La Scala lasted for over thirty years and today the flag outside the theatre is flying at half-mast, and Riccardo Muti will dedicate tonight's … [Read more...] about Luca Ronconi, Italian director of theatre and opera, dies at 81