Mirella Freni, who would have been 85 on 27 February, has died at her home in Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. She had been fighting an illness for a long while and died surrounded by friends and family. Her coffin will be placed in Modena’s Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti on the morning […]
Fiorenza Cossotto
The play Quartet and the Giuseppe Verdi Rest Home, both in Milan
The Casa di Riposo per Musicisti (Rest Home for Musicians) in Milan is known simply as Casa Verdi (The Verdi Home) and, although Giuseppe Verdi never lived there, his body is buried there, together with that of his wife, Giuseppina Strepponi (the first Abigaille in the premiere of the composer’s Nabucco at La Scala in […]
Two beautiful volumes from Amici della Scala: 80 years of costumes at La Scala and the designer Coltellacci
Vittoria Crespi Morbio, the writer of an exceptional collection of books produced by the Amici della Scala, has written monographs on important artists who have collaborated with Teatro alla Scala – some celebrated, some largely forgotten. These little gems are precious in the content but lacking in their scale. However, luckily, the Friends of La […]
A first listen to the new Maria Callas Live: Remastered Live Recordings 1949-1964
More than a gift to their own coffers, Warner Classics in releasing Maria Callas Live is giving fans of La Divina and lovers of opera a meticulously restored collection of some of her finest performances to treasure. It is timed to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of her death in Paris on 16 September 1977. The […]
Luciano Pavarotti, 10 years after his death, celebrated in exclusive photos from the La Scala archives
Luciano Pavarotti died ten years ago today, on 6 September 2007. Teatro alla Scala continually welcomed the great tenor to its stage for almost three decades, from 1965 until 1992. At the Milanese opera house he sang under the baton of Abbado, Prêtre, Kleiber, Patané, Gavazzeni, Karajan, Maazel and Muti. Pavarotti worked extensively with La Scala’s […]
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 […]
Leontyne Price is 90 – best wishes and photographic memories from La Scala
On this day, 10 February 1927, Leontyne Price was born in Laurel, Mississipi. To celebrate her 90th birthday, La Scala joins companies, colleagues and fans the world over in wishing her a happy birthday, and has released some photos of the great soprano from its archive. Price first sang at the renowned Milanese theatre on […]
Overwhelming applause for Gruberova and her queens at La Scala
You shouldn’t reveal a lady’s age, they say, but how can I not say that Edita Gruberova is 68 years-old when she took on the final scenes from three of Donizetti’s most demanding operas in one evening. I’m sure that somebody, somewhere, has done this before, but at La Scala with full orchestra and chorus, soloists […]
Coin du Roi’s Serse is musically on the right track
In a climate of crises and cuts, how glorious that a Baroque formation has been created in Italy. Coin du Roi opened their first season, which consists of three titles, with Handel’s Serse in Milan. The work was last seen in the city in 1962 with a young cast consisting of Mirella Freni, Fiorenza Cossotto, […]
La Scala pays tribute to Fiorenza Cossotto
Yesterday, La Scala celebrated Fiorenza Cossotto’s 80th birthday with a conference in the Toscanini Foyer. Joining her were Sabino Lenoci and Giancarlo Landini from L’Opera Magazine. The idea of celebrating the ‘grandi voci’ that this theatre has witnessed started with the celebration of Mirella Freni’s 80th birthday in February. The meeting with Cossotto kicks off […]