Q&A When did you start playing an instrument? When I was 4 years old, on a toy keyboard. Why did you start playing? I don’t know; I learned music by myself. Which musicians inspired you most … [Read more...] about Ottavio Dantone answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Conductors’ Edition
Luchino Visconti
Alberto Testa – Italian dancer, choreographer, teacher and writer – has died at 96
Alberto Testa was a walking encyclopedia of dance, always elegantly dressed with never a hair out of place, and was very much of another time recalling Frederick Ashton with his old-school ways. … [Read more...] about Alberto Testa – Italian dancer, choreographer, teacher and writer – has died at 96
Luisa Mandelli, Maria Callas’ Annina at La Scala, has died at 95
Luisa Mandelli, Maria Callas' Annina at La Scala, died last night, just short of her 96th birthday. Daniel Barenboim called her the 'eternal Annina' having sung alongside Callas in Luchino Visconti's … [Read more...] about Luisa Mandelli, Maria Callas’ Annina at La Scala, has died at 95
“Maria Callas on stage-the La Scala Years” at La Scala’s Museum extended until 31 March
The exhibition "Maria Callas on stage-the La Scala Years" at La Scala’s Museum has been extended until 31 March. Since 15 September over 90,000 visitors have seen the exhibition, curated by theatre … [Read more...] about “Maria Callas on stage-the La Scala Years” at La Scala’s Museum extended until 31 March
80 years of opera and ballet costumes from La Scala go on display
The theatrical costume is a paradox: it hides, yet at the same time, communicates revealing aspects of a character; it is made to be seen from afar, yet the designers and costume makers care for the … [Read more...] about 80 years of opera and ballet costumes from La Scala go on display
Maria Callas in newly restored photos from the La Scala archive
"Silence - Recording in Progress" reads the sign, as Maria Callas arrives at La Scala to record Il trovatore in 1956. More than any other theatre, Callas is linked with the great opera house in Milan. … [Read more...] about Maria Callas in newly restored photos from the La Scala archive
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 … [Read more...] about A first listen to the new Maria Callas Live: Remastered Live Recordings 1949-1964
Maria Callas as told by her ‘little sister’, Giovanna Lomazzi [interview]
On 16 September 2017, it will be 40 years since Maria Callas died in her home in Paris at the age of 53. Callas’s friend Giovanna Lomazzi was just 20 when the two of them met in Milan in 1952 after … [Read more...] about Maria Callas as told by her ‘little sister’, Giovanna Lomazzi [interview]
Maria Callas, The Exhibition – the life of La Divina on display in Verona
Maria Callas: The Exhibition in Verona, runs throughout the summer opera season until 18 September 2016. It is the largest such exhibition dedicated to La Divina and contains artefacts from her … [Read more...] about Maria Callas, The Exhibition – the life of La Divina on display in Verona
Barenboim drops Callas’s 93-year-old Annina from tonight’s Traviata in Berlin
93-year-old Luisa Mandelli, who sixty years ago was the Annina in Luchino Visconti’s La traviata with Maria Callas, was due to perform the same role under the baton of Daniel Barenboim this … [Read more...] about Barenboim drops Callas’s 93-year-old Annina from tonight’s Traviata in Berlin