Milan’s La Scala may be closed, but the theatre’s Digital Department is working hard.
Five weeks ago, Dominique Meyer, the theatre’s new intendant, started a series of interviews with artists who work in the theatre. The musical director, Riccardo Chailly, was his first ‘guest’, and since then he has talked to the director Davide Livermore, principal dancers Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko, the conductor Michele Mariotti, and singers
A concert on 1 May at 9 pm (21.00 CEST – 15.00 EDT – 20.00 BST), organised by the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino’s new intendant Alexander Pereira, will feature Cecilia Bartoli, Vittorio Grigolo, Mikhail Petrenko, Diana Damrau, Ludovic Tézier, Francesco Meli, Lisette Oropesa, Luca Salsi, Thomas Hampson, Krassimira Stoyanova, Michele Pertusi, Eva Mei, Leo Nucci, Sonya Yoncheva, Fabio Sartori, and Saioa Hernández, among others yet to be announced.
David McVicar’s new production of I masnadieri (The Robbers) for La Scala features a monumental set by Charles Edwards which is modified during the opera, but largely remains the same, so there is a line of showers (functional) alongside a tomb and a series of tavern tables and benches all within the entrance hall of […]
OPERA SEASON 2018 – 2019 La Scala announced its 2018-2019 Opera season today with 15 titles, nine of which are new productions, and two are La Scala premieres. At the heart of the season remains the Italian repertoire, continuing with the cycle of works of Verdi, Puccini, Verismo (which will return in 2020 with Giordano’s […]
Opera singing is a high-wire profession. Only the most tone-deaf will not wince when a note is off. It is all too obvious when part of a role lies too high, or too low or, indeed, hovers too much around the centre of the voice, for a particular singer. Audiences reach out in empathy when […]
Opera and Recital Season 2017 – 2018 Ballet Season 2017 – 2018 Symphonic 14, 16, 19 October 2017 Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala Daniele Gatti Miah Persson, soprano; Christianne Stotijn, contralto Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection Symphony” 10, 12, 15 November 2017 Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala Riccardo Chailly Maria […]
A pleasing new season at La Scala seems to tick all the right boxes, with half the programming dedicated to the Italian repertoire, some rarities, important international operas and a world premiere. The season will also mark the 40th Anniversary of Riccardo Chailly’s collaboration with the theatre, and the 95th birthday of Franco Zeffirelli. The […]
Ballet Season 2016-2017 Recital and Concert Season 2016-2017 The new season opens with another step along the path of Riccardo Chailly’s Puccini Project, Madama Butterfly, which will be directed by Alvis Hermanis (Die Soldaten and I due Foscari at La Scala) with Maria José Siri as Butterfly and Bryan Hymel as Pinkerton. It will use the […]
Tullio Pericoli’s designs for L’Elisir d’amore, currently at La Scala in Milan, recall the Osbert Lancaster sets for The Royal Ballet’s La fille mal gardée. Both men worked as illustrators for newspapers and their designs give the sensation of being inside a children’s book illustration. Franco Zeffirelli imitated the style for a production of La […]
Cecilia Bartoli’s well thought out programming for her first year as director of Salzburg’s Whitsun Festival was thematic, inspired by the lady of the asp, Cleopatra. The climax of the festival was a new production of Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, with la Bartoli as the iconic Egyptian queen. The casting was superb and aurally everything was splendid, but the […]
