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Florence

[Review] Cecilia Bartoli is Alcina in Florence, displaying the pinnacle of her art

9 November 2022 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

05 - Alcina - photo by Michele Monasta, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

TitleAlcinaCompanyMaggio Musicale FiorentinoVenueTeatro del MaggioDate26 October 2022ReviewerGraham Spicer Teatro del Maggio Musicale in Florence has restaged Cecilia Bartoli’s 2019 Salzburg hit, … [Read more...] about [Review] Cecilia Bartoli is Alcina in Florence, displaying the pinnacle of her art

Dischi Fenice – a hidden jewel in the heart of Florence, for music and…

4 November 2022 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Dischi Fenice, Florence 2

A Google search will tell you that Dischi Fenice is a ‘record store’, but it is so much more than that. One of a disappearing breed of shops, it sells CDs, LPs and DVDs, it’s true, but it is also … [Read more...] about Dischi Fenice – a hidden jewel in the heart of Florence, for music and…

Another Italian dance company to close

18 February 2015 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

After a series of ‘si’, ‘no’, ‘si’, ‘no’, the decision has been made to axe the corps de ballet in Florence. MaggioDanza, under the umbrella of Il Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, which even Sylvie … [Read more...] about Another Italian dance company to close

Newly discovered letters by Maria Callas on the eve of her Norma début

2 May 2014 by Gramilano 5 Comments

On 13 May a group of letters written by Maria Callas to her teacher Elvira de Hidalgo will go under the hammer. Callas auditioned for de Hidalgo - herself a famous coloratura soprano - in Greece in … [Read more...] about Newly discovered letters by Maria Callas on the eve of her Norma début

Closer to finding the Mona Lisa’s skeleton

16 February 2014 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Italian art experts and archeologists are getting close to identifying the skeleton of the presumed sitter for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. It is generally believed that the model was Lisa Del … [Read more...] about Closer to finding the Mona Lisa’s skeleton

Sylvie Guillem shines in Forsythe’s Steptext in Florence

13 June 2013 by Gramilano 6 Comments

Various off-stage dramas lead up to Sylvie Guillem's participation in MaggioDanza's Great Choreographers programme. The second performance became the première after strike action cancelled Monday's … [Read more...] about Sylvie Guillem shines in Forsythe’s Steptext in Florence

Sylvie Guillem’s ballet cancelled and a dancer finishes in hospital: backstage drama

12 June 2013 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Monday night's opening of a quadruple bill at Florence's Teatro Comunale was cancelled at the last moment, though a warning had been issued previously. A protest in Rome, against the cuts in the … [Read more...] about Sylvie Guillem’s ballet cancelled and a dancer finishes in hospital: backstage drama

Sylvie Guillem is cancelled in Florence

8 June 2013 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Sylvie Guillem, returning to a work en pointe for MaggioDanza in Florence, finds the first of her four performances cancelled. Guillem is the guest artist for an evening called Grandi Coreografi … [Read more...] about Sylvie Guillem is cancelled in Florence

Culture crash: MaggioDanza ballet company axed in Florence

14 May 2013 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Addio to MaggioDanza, the ballet company formed in 1967 under the auspices of the Florence's Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. A financial crisis has resulted in the decision to axe the ballet company, … [Read more...] about Culture crash: MaggioDanza ballet company axed in Florence

Bartoli’s back on the treasure trail with her Norma video

19 April 2013 by Gramilano 1 Comment

After offering clues taken from ‘webisodes’ filmed during the record­ing of Cecilia Bartoli's cd Mission, which eventually led to the name of the composer featured on the disc, Decca are being cunning … [Read more...] about Bartoli’s back on the treasure trail with her Norma video

Sylvano Bussotti: flamboyant composer, poet, set and costume designer, theatre director, and… and… and…

27 December 2012 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Silvano Bussotti, known as Sylvano, is an Italian eccentric, some say genius, and the word 'flamboyant' appears in many articles about this modern Renaissance man. He is a composer, poet, set and … [Read more...] about Sylvano Bussotti: flamboyant composer, poet, set and costume designer, theatre director, and… and… and…

Lost Da Vinci fresco bricked up behind Vasari work?

7 December 2011 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Art experts have signed a petition to stop drilling into a fresco in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio which may be hiding a Leonardo Da Vinci work. Around 150 historians from around the world have joined … [Read more...] about Lost Da Vinci fresco bricked up behind Vasari work?

Ferragamo presents new collection in Beijing

10 November 2011 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Italian luxury fashion brand Salvatore Ferragamo has presented its latest collection in the Chinese capital Beijing. The spring/summer 2012 collection was shown at the Ullens Center for … [Read more...] about Ferragamo presents new collection in Beijing

Zubin Mehta remembers his friend and colleague Salvatore Licitra

8 September 2011 by Gramilano 1 Comment

In an emotional interview from Lucerne, Switzerland, Zubin Mehta talked about his friend and colleague, Salvatore Licitra: I'm just devastated. It is, after all, such an unnecessary death. I heard … [Read more...] about Zubin Mehta remembers his friend and colleague Salvatore Licitra

The hunt for Mona Lisa’s tomb will start later this month – and no, it’s not a Dan Brown story

6 April 2011 by Gramilano 2 Comments

The hunt is set to start for the tomb and possible remains of the model for Leonardo's Mona Lisa in an ex-convent in her home town, Florence. announces Italy's news service ANSA. Giuseppe … [Read more...] about The hunt for Mona Lisa’s tomb will start later this month – and no, it’s not a Dan Brown story

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NEWS

Principal Brandon Lawrence to leave Birmingham Royal Ballet to join Ballett Zürich

Two new opera recordings to be released by Warner Classics/Erato

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Royal Ballet principal dancer Laura Morera to retire

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GRAHAM SPICER

Writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano’) about dance, opera, music and photography for people who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like. I was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. My scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times. I write the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.

You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, or follow my Facebook page.

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