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Adelina Patti: Her voice was a technical marvel
Italian voice expert Rodolfo Celletti said of Adelina Patti: Her voice was a technical marvel. The staccatos were marvels of accuracy, even in the trickiest intervals, her legato was impressively...
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Adelina Patti in a splendid portrait now on show in Milan
Giuseppe Verdi on Adelina Patti, one of the great coloratura singers of the 19th century: When I heard her for the first time (she was eighteen) in London, I was astounded not only by the marvellous...
View ArticleAdolphe Appia at La Scala: a new publication by the Amici della Scala
The Amici della Scala (Friends of La Scala) was formed in 1978 to promote music, art and culture in Milan and the Lombardy region, though the La Scala opera house is the focus of their activities....
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Amy Winehouse portrait bought for the nation
The National Portrait Gallery, London, has acquired a portrait of Amy Winehouse which will go on display today. The painting, which was made shortly after the singer’s death in July 2011, was bought by...
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Cecilia Bartoli rehearses with Daniel Barenboim at La Scala for her comeback...
As I write, Cecilia Bartoli is rehearsing with Daniel Barenboim and the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra in the Milanese theatre. Tomorrow marks her comeback to the theatre after an absence of nearly 20...
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Cecilia Bartoli triumphs at La Scala amidst catcalls and boos
After nineteen years, Cecilia Bartoli’s return to Milan’s La Scala tonight was long overdue. Daniel Barenboim was the instigator of the event: the opening of the La Scala Philharmonic’s season. An...
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Evan McKie and Thiago Soares questionnaires online soon
Stuttgart Ballet principal Evan McKie is the the latest dancer to complete the Gramilano Questionnaire and it will go online over the weekend. Here’s a heads up about his guest appearance with the...
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Boris Bilinsky: costume and set designer for ballet, opera and film and...
Boris Bilinsky was born in Odessa in 1900, but left Russia in 1920, escaping from the aftermath of the Revolution. He settled in Berlin where he was still able to collaborate with Russian theatres, but...
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Evan McKie answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition
Q&A When did you start dancing? In the womb. Why did you start dancing? I will probably never know the answer to that. I just know why I keep doing it. Which dancer inspired you most as a child?...
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What a week at La Scala! First La Bartoli and now a last minute substitution...
The opera and ballet season at La Scala opens today. December 7 is the day that Milan celebrates Saint Ambose (Sant’Ambrogio), its Patron Saint who was a Bishop of the city in the 4th century. Schools...
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Cecilia Bartoli and La Scala: I can’t wait to come back!
After the extraordinary events during last Monday’s concert with Cecilia Bartoli and Daniel Barenboim at La Scala in Milan, La Ceci let it be known that a handful of booers certainly won’t stop her...
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Opera singer Rosalind Plowright comments on booing Bartoli at La Scala
Renée Fleming described it as the worst night of her operatic life, after Celeste Aida Roberto Alagna gave a military salute and walked off stage, Katia Ricciarelli quit the opera house refusing to...
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Great Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya dies at 86
Russian opera legend Galina Vishnevskaya has died today, December 11, at the age of 86. Vishnevskaya was born in St Petersberg (Leningrad) 25 October 1926, and cast out by her parents at six weeks. She...
View ArticleItaly’s new Titanic musical stays afloat
The world has a new Titanic musical. Italy’s version is the work of Federico Bellone who wrote the book, lyrics and music, and is also the show’s director. It is inevitably derivative with references...
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Maria Callas’ costume for Macbeth at La Scala in 1952 in photos
Maria Callas’ costumes evoke a special frisson of excitement: knowing that she was wearing it when she sang a role so loved from a recording, and, for a few, having actually seen her 60 years ago in...
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Roberto Bolle lays himself bare in Vanity Fair: it’s difficult to say “I love...
In a revealing interview with the Italian Vanity Fair, Roberto Bolle opens up, and reveals parts of his psyche that he usually prefers to keep hidden in interviews. Luca Dini was asking the...
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Sylvano Bussotti: flamboyant composer, poet, set and costume designer,...
Silvano Bussotti, known as Sylvano, is an Italian eccentric, some say genius, and the word ‘flamboyant’ appears in many articles about this modern Renaissance man. He is a composer, poet, set and...
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Rosalind Plowright answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition
Q&A When did you start singing? Age 12. I had always sung before but only found my true voice at this age. My father was a bass player and had been playing in the orchestra for a performance of...
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With boos among the light applause, Sasha Waltz’s Roméo et Juliette finally...
After changes of cast, threatened strikes, exorbitant economic demands from chorus and dancers, and a cancelled first night, Sasha Waltz’s ballet Roméo et Juliette finally opened yesterday in Milan....
View ArticleHidden paintings revealed under Tudor portraits go on show at the National...
The National Portrait Gallery has discovered hidden paintings beneath Tudor portraits in the Collection. The discoveries are displayed from today as part of Hidden: Unseen Paintings Beneath Tudor...
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