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La Scala

The silence of the cultural elite – moral dilemmas of working in dance in today’s Russia

20 September 2023 by Gramilano 2 Comments

Ukrainian Institute of America Fallen Artists exhibition in New York 4

Can art, in this case dance, be a protection from politics? Do you become a collaborator if your work is helping to fill the coffers of the regime? Conductors Furtwängler and Toscanini offer a … [Read more...] about The silence of the cultural elite – moral dilemmas of working in dance in today’s Russia

After the Bolshoi, Jacopo Tissi joins Dutch National Ballet

24 August 2023 by Gramilano 2 Comments

Jacopo Tissi as Albrect, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2022

Jacopo Tissi has been offered a contract as principal dancer with the Dutch National Ballet (Het Nationale Ballet) in Amsterdam. He left the same position at the Bolshoi Theatre in 2022 after Russia … [Read more...] about After the Bolshoi, Jacopo Tissi joins Dutch National Ballet

A 131-CD collection to celebrate Maria Callas’ 100th birthday

23 August 2023 by Gramilano 3 Comments

Maria Callas in Paris, December 1958 crop

To celebrate the 100th birthday of Maria Callas, Warner Classics will release La Divina: Maria Callas in all her roles on 22 September 2023. The massive 131-CD collection is the most comprehensive … [Read more...] about A 131-CD collection to celebrate Maria Callas’ 100th birthday

[Review] Romeo and Juliet at La Scala with Alice Mariani and Nicola Del Freo

16 July 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Romeo and Juliet - Alice Mariani and NIcola Del Freo, photo by Brescia and Amisano, Teatro alla Scala crop

“We didn't need dialogue. We had faces,” said Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. One of the striking aspects of the final cast to be seen during the run of Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet at La … [Read more...] about [Review] Romeo and Juliet at La Scala with Alice Mariani and Nicola Del Freo

[Interview] Agnese Di Clemente – La Scala’s newest Juliet is from Verona

12 July 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Romeo and Juliet, with Agnese Di Clemente, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2023 crop

One of the most interesting talents at La Scala is the prettily named dancer Agnese Di Clemente, a soloist with the proportions of music box ballerina – petite and graceful. The 27-year-old comes … [Read more...] about [Interview] Agnese Di Clemente – La Scala’s newest Juliet is from Verona

[Review] Carlo il Calvo – Fagioli, Lezhneva and Cenčić give explosive performances in Porpora’s opera

2 July 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Julia Lezhneva and Franco Fagioli, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala

Carlo il Calvo? The name appears in small italics in some booklets of CDs of Baroque arias, so I’d vaguely heard of it. But there it was, as a concert performance in La Scala’s season calendar. If I … [Read more...] about [Review] Carlo il Calvo – Fagioli, Lezhneva and Cenčić give explosive performances in Porpora’s opera

[Review] The second annual Gala Fracci at La Scala

20 June 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

08 - LE SPECTRE DE LA ROSE Letizia Masini, Jacopo Tissi, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala

[Photo Album of Gala Fracci below] In 2021, the director of the La Scala ballet company, Manuel Legris, had the idea to invite Carla Fracci to give a short masterclass during preparations for … [Read more...] about [Review] The second annual Gala Fracci at La Scala

Italian conductor Speranza Scappucci to become Principal Guest Conductor at the Royal Opera

5 June 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Speranza Scappucci - Ian Ehm - 2022

The Royal Opera House has announced that Speranza Scappucci will become Principal Guest Conductor of The Royal Opera. She will take up the position in September 2025, at the start of the 2025-2026 … [Read more...] about Italian conductor Speranza Scappucci to become Principal Guest Conductor at the Royal Opera

The Florence opera house to sell its vast archive to avoid closure

31 May 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

The Maggio Musicale in Florence may sell off its large archive in a desperate attempt to find €8.5m by July, part of a huge debt left behind after Alexander Pereira resigned last February. Without … [Read more...] about The Florence opera house to sell its vast archive to avoid closure

La Scala Ballet Season 2023-2024

30 May 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

L'histoire de Manon - Nicoletta Manni, Timofej Andrijashenko, photo Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala

The new Ballet Season, devised by La Scala’s ballet director Manuel Legris, presents seven titles ranging from 19th-century classics such as Coppélia – in a new version by Alexei Ratmansky to open the … [Read more...] about La Scala Ballet Season 2023-2024

The second edition of the Carla Fracci gala arrives at La Scala

28 May 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Carla Fracci at La Scala, Lelli e Masotti 1984, Teatro alla Scala

After the resounding success of the first edition of Gala Fracci – a tribute by La Scala to Carla Fracci – now, two years after her death (she died on 27 May 2021) comes the second edition of what … [Read more...] about The second edition of the Carla Fracci gala arrives at La Scala

[Review] Blake Works V – William Forsythe’s sensational evening of dance at La Scala

22 May 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

08 - Blake Works I - photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala

[Go to Photo Album] Blake Works V is the fifth programme that William Forsythe has built on the music of the English musician James Blake. Blake Works I was a piece created for the Paris Opera … [Read more...] about [Review] Blake Works V – William Forsythe’s sensational evening of dance at La Scala

[Interview] Conductor Henrik Nánási – immersing himself in the music

12 May 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Henrik Nánási by Gunnar Geller, crop

The Hungarian conductor Henrik Nánási will be conducting Rusalka at the Bayerische Staatsoper from 14 May, but his international career, and wide-ranging repertoire, will soon see him taking off … [Read more...] about [Interview] Conductor Henrik Nánási – immersing himself in the music

[Photo Album] Photos from the first night of William Forsythe’s ‘Blake Works V’

11 May 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

20 - Blake Works V - Blake Works I -, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala

William Forsythe returns to La Scala to continue his exploration of the musical output of British composer James Blake with Blake Works V, which opened last night and runs from until 30 May … [Read more...] about [Photo Album] Photos from the first night of William Forsythe’s ‘Blake Works V’

The bizarre story of Italian opera house musical chairs – Meyer, Fuortes, Lissner

9 May 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Meyer, Fuortes, Lissner

An Italian story… Carlo Fuortes was brought in to manage the Rome Opera House at Christmas in 2013 when the theatre was on the verge of closing with a €32m debt. He overhauled the working practices … [Read more...] about The bizarre story of Italian opera house musical chairs – Meyer, Fuortes, Lissner

[Review] Balthus Variations and other delights in La Scala’s Ballet School show

7 May 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Balthus Variations, photo by Marta Rossetti

The lucky ballet students of Milan’s academy at La Scala get to perform five shows on one of Milan’s most famous stages – the Teatro Strehler, named after the great director who established the famed … [Read more...] about [Review] Balthus Variations and other delights in La Scala’s Ballet School show

Blake Works V – La Scala presents a new work from William Forsythe – “You can get a lot done with calm.”

6 May 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

William Forsythe, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala. (2)

William Forsythe returns to La Scala continuing his exploration of the musical output of British composer James Blake with Blake Works V, which runs from 10 to 30 May 2023. The programme is a suite of … [Read more...] about Blake Works V – La Scala presents a new work from William Forsythe – “You can get a lot done with calm.”

[Review] The Trocks are back… gags honed over half a century

22 April 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Swan Lake, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, photo by Giovanni Daniotti - 3

Ah, the Trocks are back in Milan. Our paths have crossed so many times… in Milan, London, Paris. How I’ve missed you. The company was last at the Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan in 2016. There were many … [Read more...] about [Review] The Trocks are back… gags honed over half a century

La Scala and Manuel Legris remember Pierre Lacotte

11 April 2023 by Gramilano 2 Comments

Pierre Lacotte rehearsing La Sylphide at La Scala, photo by Marco Brescia 2005 crop

Pierre Lacotte: 4 April 1932 – 10 April 2023 The Teatro alla Scala and its ballet company, the intendant Dominque Meyer and the ballet director Manuel Legris, join the mourning dance world for the … [Read more...] about La Scala and Manuel Legris remember Pierre Lacotte

[Interview] Talking with soprano Eleonora Buratto about Hoffmann, perfume and spumante

29 March 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Eleonora Buratto, photo by Dario Acosta crop

The current run of Les contes d’Hoffmann at La Scala sees soprano Eleonora Buratto making her debut as Antonia. After the opening night, I asked her how she was settling into her new role. It's a … [Read more...] about [Interview] Talking with soprano Eleonora Buratto about Hoffmann, perfume and spumante

[Review] Le Corsaire at La Scala – if it ain’t broke, why try to fix it?

25 March 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

19 - Alice Mariani, Mattia Semperboni, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. How odd then, that at La Scala, the applauded version of Le Corsaire by Anna-Marie Holmes has been substituted for that by the Milanese company’s director, Manuel … [Read more...] about [Review] Le Corsaire at La Scala – if it ain’t broke, why try to fix it?

­­­­[Interview] Designer Tom Pye on death threats, Cinderella – and cowboys

19 March 2023 by Paul Arrowsmith Leave a Comment

Tom Pye with the Cinderella Palace set at the Royal Opera House Production Workshop in Thurrock, January 2023. Photo by Andrej Uspenski

Guest author Paul Arrowsmith talks to Tom Pye, the designer of The Royal Ballet’s new production of Cinderella. Tom Pye has reimagined anew Frederick Ashton’s 75-year-old ballet Cinderella, for The … [Read more...] about ­­­­[Interview] Designer Tom Pye on death threats, Cinderella – and cowboys

[Photo Album] La Scala’s Le Corsaire, opening tonight and to be live streamed 1 March 2023

28 February 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

33 - Le Corsaire - in the centre Nicoletta Manni, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala

Le Corsaire, in a version by La Scala Ballet’s director Manuel Legris, will be the first ballet to be live-streamed on La Scala’s new video channel LaScalaTV. The production opens tonight, with … [Read more...] about [Photo Album] La Scala’s Le Corsaire, opening tonight and to be live streamed 1 March 2023

LaScalaTv, La Scala’s new streaming platform, is now live

15 February 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Madina - Roberto Bolle, Antonella Albano and the corps de ballet, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala

Yesterday was the first live stream from LaScalaTv (of I Vespri siciliani with a superb cast) and other operas, ballets, concerts and recitals will follow. La Scala has been building up a catalogue … [Read more...] about LaScalaTv, La Scala’s new streaming platform, is now live

First look at the Dawson/Duato/Kratz/Kylián contemporary programme at La Scala

30 January 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Remanso ROBERTO BOLLE MATTIA SEMPERBONI, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala

Dawson/Duato/Kratz/Kylián is a new mixed programme at La Scala which opens on 4 February, with a new creation by Philippe Kratz (Solitude Sometimes); two works that are being presented for the first … [Read more...] about First look at the Dawson/Duato/Kratz/Kylián contemporary programme at La Scala

[Interview] In conversation with Italian tenor Piero Pretti as he returns to La Scala for another debut

28 January 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Piero Pretti crop

A new production of I Vespri Siciliani by Argentinian director Hugo de Ana – who has also designed the sets and costumes – opens at La Scala this evening, 28 January 2023. The performance will be … [Read more...] about [Interview] In conversation with Italian tenor Piero Pretti as he returns to La Scala for another debut

Franco Zeffirelli – The La Scala Years: an exhibition in Milan

14 January 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Otello 1976 photo by Erio Piccagliani 01

Franco Zeffirelli was born in Florence on 12 January 1923. Teatro alla Scala anticipates the celebration of the great director's centenary with the exhibition “Franco Zeffirelli - The La Scala Years" … [Read more...] about Franco Zeffirelli – The La Scala Years: an exhibition in Milan

Bruno Vescovo, former principal dancer with the La Scala Ballet, has died at 73

2 January 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Bruno Vescovo crop, photo by Lelli e Masotti, Teatro alla Scala

Bruno was a dancer of modest height with a fast dynamic, a physical quality that matched his personality. He often danced together with Anna Maria Grossi, a beautifully proportioned dancer who … [Read more...] about Bruno Vescovo, former principal dancer with the La Scala Ballet, has died at 73

[Review] Rudolf Nureyev’s Nutcracker at La Scala – lacking fizz

26 December 2022 by Gramilano 6 Comments

23 - Nutcracker - ch Rudolf Nureyev with Agnese Di Clemente. Photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala

The return to La Scala of Rudolf Nureyev’s Nutcracker after 16 years gives back a well-loved production after the theatre flirted with versions by Duato and Balanchine, and it marks another step in … [Read more...] about [Review] Rudolf Nureyev’s Nutcracker at La Scala – lacking fizz

Pro-Putin dancer Sergei Polunin’s show to be staged in Milan in January

22 December 2022 by Gramilano 8 Comments

sergei polunin social media post 2022

On 28 and 29 January 2023, the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan will present Rasputin, a project by and starring Sergei Polunin – the ‘rock star of world dance’ according to the theatre’s … [Read more...] about Pro-Putin dancer Sergei Polunin’s show to be staged in Milan in January

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GRAMILANO

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan, aka ‘Gramilano’. 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. He wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.

Since 2022, Gramilano is pleased to welcome guest authors: Alisa Alekseeva, Paul Arrowsmith, Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel, Jonathan Gray, Marina Harss, Matthew Paluch, Jann Parry, Graham Watts, and Deborah Weiss.

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