(Photo: Brescia e Amisano © Teatro alla Scala) There are works that endure through time because they contain questions that no era has ever been able to answer completely. “Carmen” is one of them. Since its controversial Paris premiere in 1875, when the Opéra-Comique witnessed an audience bewildered by a story centered on a woman who rejected the social and {…}
Welcome back as we explore the latest CD and DVD releases from around the opera world. This week the Teatro alla Scala releases two major productions from two different seasons featuring some of the biggest stars. Lucia di Lammermoor C Major Entertainment releases Donizetti’s masterpiece from spring 2023. Recorded at the Teatro alla Scala, the opera features Lisette Oropesa, Juan {…}
(Photo: Brescia e Amisano © Teatro alla Scala) At a time when vocal recitals seem to have lost some of the prominence they enjoyed throughout much of the twentieth century, it is particularly significant that two artists at the height of their careers should choose to celebrate a decade of collaboration through a format that demands complete artistic exposure. Such {…}
Following the announcement that the Teatro alla Scala was increasing prices of more than 30 per cent, protests erupted. The Times of London is reporting that during a performance of “Carmen” last week, multicolored leaflets were thrown down onto the stalls denouncing the move as one that would “burden the theatre’s traditional audience” and demanding it be reversed. According to {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has announced its 2026-27 season. Opera Myung–Whun Chung conducts Verdi’s “Otello” for opening night in a production by Damiano Michieletto. The cast will include Brian Jagde, Luca Salsi, and Eleonora Buratto accompanied by Juan Francisco Gatell and Szilvia Vörös. A second cast will star Arsen Soghomonyan, Roberto Frontali and Roberta Mantegna. Performance Dates: Dec. 7, 2026-Jan. 5, 2027 Bizet’s {…}
(Photo Credit: Michele Monasta) On May 26 at the Teatro alla Scala, Marta Torbidoni performed the role of Abigaille replacing the originally announced Anna Netrebko. According to reports, Superintendent Fortunato Ortombina took the stage before the performance to announce that Netrebko would not be able to perform due to a travel mishap. Per reports the audience was unhappy with the {…}
(Photo: Monika Rittershaus / La Scala) “Opera sings too much” provocatively declared a barely thirty-year-old Claude Debussy shortly before revolutionizing the concept of lyric theater in France with what would become his only operatic work: “Pelléas et Mélisande.” A work built upon silences, allusions, and a circular sense of time: a fable situated outside reality. The result was not what {…}
Marta Torbidoni will sing the role of Abigaille in the Teatro alla Scala’s new production of “Nabucco.” The soprano will replace the originally announced Russian soprano Inara Kozlavskaya for the June 4, 6, and 9, 2026 performances. Torbidoni has performed at the Teatro alla Scala in productions of “Norma” and has also appeared at such theatres and concert halls as {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has announced its cast for the 2026-27 season opening. As noted the company will open its season with a production of “Otello” directed by Damiano Michieletto under the direction of the company’s new music director Myung-Whun Chung. The cast will be headlined by Brian Jagde in the title role, alongside Eleonora Buratto as Desdemona and Luca {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has revealed the operas that will be performed during the 2026-27 season. As previously reported the company will open with “Otello” in a new production by Damiano Michieletto. The company will also showcase the company premiere of “Leonora” by Ferdinando Paër in a production by Daniele Menghini and conducted by Roland Böer. Valentina Carasco will direct {…}
The Teatro alla Scala has confirmed that the 2026-27 season will open with Verdi’s “Otello.” The production will be directed by Damiano Michieletto and will be conducted by Music Director Myung-Whun Chung. The opera will open on Dec. 7, 2026. The company also confirmed that the 2027-28 season will open with Verdi “Un ballo in maschera” under the direction of Chung. The {…}
