Banned for decades in the Soviet Union for its dissonance and bawdiness, the opera returns as La Scala’s season opener amid the 50th anniversary of Shostakovich’s death.
Category: La Scala Opera House (Milan, Italy)
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Romeo Castellucci Takes on Debussy for His La Scala Debut
The Italian director Romeo Castellucci, known for his avant-garde theater productions, will take on Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” in his La Scala debut.
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La Scala’s First ‘Ring’ in a Decade Passes the Wagnerian Flame
Two conductors — a mentor and a protégé, both trained as pianists — bring precision and lyricism to the first new staging of Wagner’s epic in a decade.
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Luigi Alva, Elegant Tenor With a Lighthearted Touch, Dies at 98
A Peruvian-born international star, he made a specialty of roles in operas by Donizetti, Rossini and Mozart, becoming one of their pre-eminent interpreters.
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La Scala Taps South Korean Maestro Myung-whun Chung as Music Director
Myung-whun Chung will be the first Asian, and one of the first conductors born outside Italy, to serve as music director in the opera house’s 247-year history.
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La Scala Opera Taps Fortunato Ortombina to Succeed Dominique Meyer
Fortunato Ortombina, the general director of Teatro La Fenice, Venice’s opera house, will succeed Dominique Meyer, a respected French impresario.
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Maurizio Pollini, Celebrated Pianist Who Defined Modernism, Dies at 82
His recordings of Beethoven and Chopin were hailed as classics, but his technical ability sometimes invited controversy.
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6 Highlights of Maria Callas’s Opera Career at La Scala
The soprano appeared in more than two dozen productions at the house in Milan as she rose to become opera’s leading lady. Here are six highlights.
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In a New ‘Simon Boccanegra,’ Family Ties Are Tightened
“Simon Boccanegra,” a story of fathers, politics, love and duty, is returning to La Scala, where personal connections to the opera run deep.
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A Pilgrimage to the Land of Giuseppe Verdi
A critic whose love of the operas of Giuseppe Verdi goes back nearly 60 years traveled to northern Italy to visit the places that shaped the man and his music.
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Maria Callas Was Opera’s Defining Diva. She Still Is.
Callas would have turned 100 on Dec. 2. She and her flash of a career remain beacons of artistic integrity and profundity.
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Renata Scotto, Opera Diva Who Inhabited Roles, Dies at 89
Ms. Scotto, a leading Italian soprano, sang more than two dozen roles at the Metropolitan Opera and was a charismatic and demanding stage partner.