La Scala

Riccardo Chailly on life in the time of the coronavirus

7 April 2020 by gramilano 1 Comment

My wife and I have spent our lives travelling, often returning home exhausted by the weight of bags of new books and music. I could only glance at this vast library as there was never enough time available. Now we have an oasis of calm in our family. It gives time to reflect and mature. Maturity is not something that comes automatically with age but by your ability to understand things. For me, this is very important. I have rejected many work offers because there wasn’t enough time.

I have daily telephone contacts with theatre management and musicians. We have talked a great deal and we are all very worried about the future.

La Scala loses two collaborators to the coronavirus

15 March 2020 by gramilano 1 Comment

Luca Targetti, the Casting Director at La Scala for 13 years from 1997, died shortly after showing symptoms of a coronavirus infection on 12 March. He was 63.

The architect Vittorio Gregotti, responsible for designing the 2000-seater Teatro Arcimboldi, La Scala’s temporary home when it was closed for modernisation, refurbishment, and extension in 2002, died this morning after being infected with the virus. He was 92.

La Scala and all Italian theatres closed until 3 April – a tenor tests positive for the coronavirus

4 March 2020 by gramilano 4 Comments

The hoped-for reopening of La Scala after the closure of all theatres and cinemas in northern Italy has been setback after a tenor working in the theatre tested positive for the coronavirus. He was last in the theatre on 26 February for a rehearsal of Salome, a production by Damiano Michieletto with Riccardo Chailly conducting that was to have opened on 8 March. Rehearsals were due to be resumed today but have been postponed once more…

David Hallberg becomes new head of Australian Ballet – Farewell gala in 2021

3 March 2020 by gramilano Leave a Comment

David Hallberg will become the new artistic director of the Australian Ballet, taking over from former principal dancer David McAllister, who has directed the company for two decades. Hallberg’s last performances as a dancer will be in 2021, when he will fulfil previous commitments, culminating in a farewell gala with American Ballet Theatre. He spent […]

Katia Ricciarelli at 74 returns to the opera stage and talks about being a diva

1 March 2020 by gramilano 2 Comments

At 74, after many years away from the stage, and often from singing (the wear and tear on her voice means that even singing a popular song on TV can lead to surprising results), Katia Ricciarelli returns to opera in Cavalleria Rusticana. It was Cecilia Gasdia, now intendant of Verona’s Arena, who convinced her. It […]

Review: Enthralling programme of 5 works by Hans van Manen and Roland Petit at La Scala

24 February 2020 by gramilano 2 Comments

An unusual mixed bill at La Scala showcased the works of two choreographers: Hans van Manen and Roland Petit. Two of the van Manen pieces were new to the company, though his Adagio Hammerklavier, which opened the programme, was performed in Milan in 1985. Adagio Hammerklavier was created in 1973 (the men wear leg-warmers and […]

La Scala cancels performances due to coronavirus outbreaks

23 February 2020 by gramilano 1 Comment

La Scala has announced that performances from today onwards are cancelled in light of the coronavirus threat. Tonight there was to have been a recital by soprano Aleksandra Kurzak. Italia has 130 people under observation or ill, and in the Lombardy region, where Milan is the capital, there are 93 cases. The situation has worsened […]

Manuel Legris to take over as head of La Scala’s ballet company

18 February 2020 by gramilano 5 Comments

The whispering in the corridors of La Scala has come to an end as, finally, it has been confirmed that Manuel Legris will take over from Frédéric Olivieri as Ballet Director. Legris, currently in the same position in Vienna, will assume the role in Milan at the end of this year. He already knows the […]

Photo Album: Mirella Freni at La Scala

10 February 2020 by gramilano Leave a Comment

Mirella Freni sang at La Scala from 1962 until 1996 (an account of those years, with comments by Mirella Freni, is here). La Scala issued a statement, which reads: The news of Mirella Freni’s passing has deeply moved all the workers, the musicians, and the management of the La Scala Theatre. Before the performance of […]

Mirella Freni dies at 84

9 February 2020 by gramilano 1 Comment

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 […]

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