(Credit: Brescia – Amisano © Teatro alla Scala) The “Prima della Scala” is more than just an opera performance; it’s a quintessential Italian event that intertwines art, history, and tradition, captivating global audiences every December 7th. This year, Teatro alla Scala inaugurates its 2024/2025 season with Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino.” Here are five essential insights to help you fully {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will get some Verdi and Monteverdi releases as well as the release of a world premiere album. Verdi Decca releases an album from the Teatro alla Scala which showcases Riccardo Chailly and La Scala as they maintain the gold standard {…}
Riccardo Chailly has canceled his upcoming performances at the Lucerne Festival. The company said that Chailly was taken ill and had to undergo a sudden operation. As a result, Paavo Järvi and Andrés Orozco-Estrada will take over. Järvi will conduct the Festival’s Opening Concert on August 11 as well as the concert on August 12, and Orozco-Estrada will lead the {…}
This week audiences will get a chance to hear songs by Enrico Caruso, a rare Mascagni opera, Verdi choruses, and Spanish songs, among others things. Here is a look at the new releases of the week. 1915: A Trip to Granada The new album features American mezzo Anna Tonna and American pianist Mac McClure taking a journey undertaken back in April of {…}
Music Director of the Teatro alla Scala Riccardo Chailly has responded to the Ukrainian Consul’s letter asking the Milan theater to cancel “Boris Godunov” as the company’s opening night. Chailly said, “We are all with Ukraine waiting for the conflict to end, but politics and its consequences cannot be coercive for culture.” The conductor responded to the letter that Ukrainian {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has extended Riccardo Chailly’s contract until 2025. Superintendent Dominique Meyer announced the news that the board approved the extension. Chailly made his debut at the Teatro alla Scala in 1978 and has since been a regular with the company. As Music Director he has conducted six opening night performances a number of new productions. He recently {…}
(Credit: Riccardo Chailly’s official website) Riccardo Chailly, Music Director of the Teatro alla Scala, will replace famed conductor Zubin Mehta for the live-streamed performance of Richard Strauss’ “Salome” on Feb. 20, 2021. Per an official press release, Mehta was discharged from the hospital on Jan. 15 in good health and there was hope that the conductor would be able to {…}
(Credit: LA Philharmonic) Maestro Zubin Mehta was taken to hospital after he felt sick during a rehearsal of Strauss’ “Salome” on Feb. 13. The first medical check-ups were performed, and Italian doctors believe that Maestro Mehta suffers from accumulated stress due to the numerous work commitments. Mehta, who suffered from a kidney tumor in recent years and has since recovered, {…}
(Credit: Riccardo Chailly’s official website) Maestro Riccardo Chailly’s contract as the Music Director of l’Orchestre du Festival de Lucerne has been extended until the end of 2026. Riccardo Chailly currently serves as the Music Director of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. In his long and fruitful career, Maestro Chailly served as the first music director of the Orchestra Sinfonica {…}
Credits: Gregor Hohenberg/Sony Music / D. Rouvre / Kristian Schuller/Decca Festival Les Chorégies d’Orange has announced its 2021 schedule, featuring a number of vocal and orchestral works. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on the vocal works only. Camille Saint-Saëns’ operatic masterpiece “Samson et Dalila” will star Nicolas Cavallier in the role of Le Grand-Prêtre de Dagon, {…}
(Credit: Marco Borggreve) The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam has announced the appointment of Hungarian conductor Iván Fischer as its new Honorary Conductor. Fischer is the third Honorary Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, following Bernard Haitink and Riccardo Chailly and his tenure will begin in the 2021-22 season. The Maestro recently conducted Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo” at Grand Théâtre de Genève, Verdi’s {…}