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 … [Read more...] about La Scala, Milan: Opera and Recital Season 2018 – 2019
Valery Gergiev
Franco Vassallo answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition
Q&A in italiano When did you start singing? When I was 11 to a disc of Rigoletto with Gobbi, Callas and Di Stefano; a blanket on my shoulder and an umbrella served as my cloak and … [Read more...] about Franco Vassallo answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition
14 minutes of applause for Anna Netrebko at La Scala in La traviata [interview and photos]
Anna Netrebko has returned to La Scala to sing Violetta as she sings ‘addio’ to the role. She will sing in a Traviata once more in Paris next February, and then that’s it for the curvy Russian and the … [Read more...] about 14 minutes of applause for Anna Netrebko at La Scala in La traviata [interview and photos]
Xander Parish on life with the Mariinsky Ballet
You were recently promoted to First Soloist at the Mariinsky Ballet. Happy? Yes, I was promoted after a show of Giselle back in January and it was quite out of the blue! Leaving the corps Xander … [Read more...] about Xander Parish on life with the Mariinsky Ballet
Vaganova Ballet Academy to open a new school in Vladivostok – 10,000 km from St Petersburg
by guest blogger Elizaveta Dilanyan On 18 June it was announced that Vaganova Ballet Academy will open a second campus in Vladivostok, the capital of the Primorsky Krai province, in far … [Read more...] about Vaganova Ballet Academy to open a new school in Vladivostok – 10,000 km from St Petersburg
Maya Plisetskaya’s 90th birthday celebrated in concerts and exhibitions
20 November 2015 would have been Maya Plisetskaya's 90th birthday. The great Russian ballerina, who died on 2 May this year, will be remembered in a series of events in Moscow and St Petersburg. On … [Read more...] about Maya Plisetskaya’s 90th birthday celebrated in concerts and exhibitions
Nikolay Tsiskaridze’s first two years at the helm of the Vaganova
The 28th of October 2015 marked the end of Nikolay Tsiskaridze’s first two years as head of the Vaganova Academy and the staff celebrated the occasion with a small get together. His appointment was … [Read more...] about Nikolay Tsiskaridze’s first two years at the helm of the Vaganova
Romeo and Juliet with the Mariinsky in Milan… and no nude kings
What a great evening out: Romeo and Juliet with the Mariinsky and Valery Gergiev conducting. However, not a costume or piece of scenery in sight… just Gergiev with his orchestra performing the Romeo … [Read more...] about Romeo and Juliet with the Mariinsky in Milan… and no nude kings
Cecilia Bartoli: “Contemporary composers can’t write for opera singers like me”
I've been following this project for eight years and I've been to St Petersburg many times in train or by ship, because I don't like flying; one of the most beautiful trips was on the icebreaker from … [Read more...] about Cecilia Bartoli: “Contemporary composers can’t write for opera singers like me”
Tsiskaridze’s reputation is not as high as state officials’ wives would have you believe
Earlier today, teachers at the Vaganova Ballet Academy published an open letter, written in four languages, to President Vladimir Putin asking him to reconsider the appointment of Nikolay … [Read more...] about Tsiskaridze’s reputation is not as high as state officials’ wives would have you believe
