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 of Wednesday 12 February, and the funeral will be held in the … [Read more...] about Mirella Freni dies at 84
Renata Scotto
Conductor Nello Santi – who conducted 401 performances at The Met – has died at 88
The conductor Nello Santi has died at 88. He last worked at La Scala in November 2017, when he was 86, conducting Nabucco. He was born in 1931 in Adria in the Veneto region. He was the director of Zurich Opera from 1958 to 1969. In 1960, Santi conducted the Wiener Philharmoniker for Don Carlo in Salzburg with Boris Christoff and Ettore Bastianini. At The Royal Opera House in … [Read more...] about Conductor Nello Santi – who conducted 401 performances at The Met – has died at 88
The play Quartet and the Giuseppe Verdi Rest Home, both in Milan
The Casa di Riposo per Musicisti (Rest Home for Musicians) in Milan is known simply as Casa Verdi (The Verdi Home) and, although Giuseppe Verdi never lived there, his body is buried there, together with that of his wife, Giuseppina Strepponi (the first Abigaille in the premiere of the composer’s Nabucco at La Scala in 1842). The performing rights of Verdi’s operas paid for the … [Read more...] about The play Quartet and the Giuseppe Verdi Rest Home, both in Milan
Luciano Pavarotti, 10 years after his death, celebrated in exclusive photos from the La Scala archives
Luciano Pavarotti died ten years ago today, on 6 September 2007. Teatro alla Scala continually welcomed the great tenor to its stage for almost three decades, from 1965 until 1992. At the Milanese opera house he sang under the baton of Abbado, Prêtre, Kleiber, Patané, Gavazzeni, Karajan, Maazel and Muti. Pavarotti worked extensively with La Scala's current Musical … [Read more...] about Luciano Pavarotti, 10 years after his death, celebrated in exclusive photos from the La Scala archives
Renata Scotto on her childhood, her musical beginnings and her debut in Traviata at 18
Renata Scotto has been made an honorary citizen of Tovo San Giacomo, a small town near the Ligurian coast, in the Province of Savona — just a few kilometres from where I happen to be writing this article. In my career, I have received many awards, but this is the best of them all. Why does Tovo San Giacomo, with few more than 2,000 inhabitants, hold a special place in her … [Read more...] about Renata Scotto on her childhood, her musical beginnings and her debut in Traviata at 18