John Cranko’s ballet Onegin was brought to La Scala in 1993 as a vehicle for Carla Fracci with Rex Harrington in the title role. It wasn’t, however, Fracci’s first contact with the ballet. Her close ties with Cranko began before he became the director of the Stuttgart Ballet when she created Juliet in his production of Romeo and Juliet for La Scala; she was 21. The inimitable … [Read more...] about Marianela Nuñez and Roberto Bolle lead a top-notch cast in Onegin at La Scala
Nicoletta Manni
Photo Album: Opening night at La Scala – Roberto Bolle in Bolero, Symphony in C, Petite Mort
BALANCHINE / KYLIÁN / BÉJART Opening night: Saturday 16 November 2019 SYMPHONY IN C Music Georges Bizet Choreography George Balanchine © School of American Ballet Revived by Patricia Neary Costumes Karinska Lights Andrea Giretti First movement Martina Arduino, Nicola Del Freo Second movement Nicoletta Manni, Marco Agostino Third movement Alessandra … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Opening night at La Scala – Roberto Bolle in Bolero, Symphony in C, Petite Mort
Dancing Times, November 2019 edition – with Gramilano’s Danza in Italia column including Sleeping Beauty at La Scala and Pink Floyd in Verona
The latest issue of Dancing Times magazine (out on Friday) contains a double-page spread dedicated to the Gramilano 'Danza in Italia' column reviews, with a look at Rudolph Nureyev's Sleeping Beauty at La Scala, The Tokyo Ballet on tour in Italy, and Daniele Cipriani Company's new production SHINE Pink Floyd Ballet at Verona's Teatro Romano. Sleeping Beauty saw Polina … [Read more...] about Dancing Times, November 2019 edition – with Gramilano’s Danza in Italia column including Sleeping Beauty at La Scala and Pink Floyd in Verona
Review: Giselle at La Scala with Zakharova/Hallberg, Manni/Andrijashenko, Valerio/Coviello
Giselle is one of La Scala Ballet’s international calling cards. Together with Nureyev’s Don Quixote, this production has been seen all over the world, and rightly so. The company dances it beautifully, and its staging by Yvette Chauviré (based, of course, on the Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot choreography) would be difficult to better. It is clearly told, the story points … [Read more...] about Review: Giselle at La Scala with Zakharova/Hallberg, Manni/Andrijashenko, Valerio/Coviello
Dancing Times, September edition – with Gramilano’s Danza in Italia column including Woolf Works at La Scala and a Glass triple bill in Rome
The latest issue of Dancing Times is out tomorrow. In September’s issue, I cover Wayne McGregor’s “amazing” Woolf Works at La Scala with Alessandra Ferri giving a “frighteningly intense” performance alongside an excellent cast from La Scala Ballet including “powerful and touching” performances from Timofej Andrijashenko as Septimus and Claudio Coviello as Evans, and Gioacchino … [Read more...] about Dancing Times, September edition – with Gramilano’s Danza in Italia column including Woolf Works at La Scala and a Glass triple bill in Rome
In with the old – La Scala returns to Nureyev’s Sleeping Beauty
If there is a ballet that belongs to La Scala, it’s Rudolf Nureyev’s production of The Sleeping Beauty, created for the ballet company in 1966 with Carla Fracci and Nureyev in the main roles. It was performed 152 times until 2007, when Tchaikovsky’s score fell silent for eight years until awoken by Alexei Ratmansky when he brought his reconstructed version to Milan in September … [Read more...] about In with the old – La Scala returns to Nureyev’s Sleeping Beauty
McGregor’s Woolf Works thrills and enthralls at La Scala
The La Scala Ballet usually fields a first cast, and several alternative casts, but not with Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works – here it was very much a case of a first cast and a second cast. The first featured two guests from the original Royal Opera House production from 2015 – Alessandra Ferri and Federico Bonelli – and most of the company’s principal dancers; the second cast … [Read more...] about McGregor’s Woolf Works thrills and enthralls at La Scala
La Scala’s Timofej Andrijashenko to guest as Romeo with The Royal Ballet
La Scala Principal Dancer Timofej Andrijashenko will dance Romeo at The Royal Opera House in London on 27 April and 4 May alongside Melissa Hamilton. The director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare, was present at La Scala’s opening of Wayne McGregor’s ballet Woolf Works earlier this month on 7 April and saw Andrijashenko dancing the role of Septimus in the work’s first part, I … [Read more...] about La Scala’s Timofej Andrijashenko to guest as Romeo with The Royal Ballet
First photos of Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works at La Scala with Alessandra Ferri, Federico Bonelli and Company dancers
These are the first photos of La Scala's restaging of Wayne McGregor's Woolf Works created for The Royal Ballet in 2015. The work was seen again in London in 2017, and in Milan, two of the original interpreters- Alessandra Ferri and Federico Bonelli - reprise their roles. The photos are accompanied by extracts of a 2017 interview by The Royal Ballet with the work's composer … [Read more...] about First photos of Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works at La Scala with Alessandra Ferri, Federico Bonelli and Company dancers
Les Étoiles in Rome – Nuñez, Muntagirov, Novikova, Sarafanov, Alexandrova, Lantratov, Semionova…
Les Étoiles in Rome - Marianela Nuñez, Vadim Muntagirov, Olesya Novikova, Leonid Sarafanov, Maria Alexandrova, Vladislav Lantratov, Polina Semionova, Dmitry Semionov, Tatiana Melnik, Bakhtiyar Adamzhan, Nicoletta Manni, Sergio Bernal A gala is a gala is a gala… too many bonbons leaving a slightly woozy sensation as the audience rises to its feet at the end. Daniele Cipriani’s … [Read more...] about Les Étoiles in Rome – Nuñez, Muntagirov, Novikova, Sarafanov, Alexandrova, Lantratov, Semionova…