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An intense and political Don Carlo with the leaders of world opera as its protagonists and with a particularly affectionate welcome for the senator for life, Liliana Segre, applauded upon her entry into the room for this premiere of Sant’Ambrogio (with someone from the gallery singing hymns “to anti-fascist Italy”). The Teatro alla Scala, which has director Riccardo Chailly on the podium at his tenth opening of the season, lines up the super stars Anna Netrebko (Elisabetta di Valois) and Francesco Meli (Don Carlo) who reach six openings each, Luca Salsi (Rodrigo, Marchese di Posa) to the fourth. Michele Pertusi (Philip II) makes his debut as Elina Garanča (Princess of Eboli) on his first December 7th. As Inquisitor Jongmin Park.
Luis Pasqual
The director is Lluís Pasqual, former assistant to Giorgio Strehler in Milan and founder of the Teatre Lliure in Barcelona who had already created Gianni Schicchi in 1996 and La donna del lago in 2011 at La Scala. (Some people argue that it is static: the undersigned would define it finally respectful of the singers as well as leadenly majestic). The sets are by Daniel Bianco, the costumes by Oscar winner Franca Squarciapino. The costumes – beautiful in their echoes of Velázquez – in shades of black, the color common among the Spanish aristocracy of the time.
Before La Scala, the VIP parade
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The controversies
After the controversy of the previous day on the allocation of seats in the royal box, the recomposition of the ceremony with the senator for life Liliana Segre – “I have always been a lover of opera, I have been a season ticket holder at La Scala for many years, I started from the gallery and this is a good point to remember” – close to the President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa, and the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala. And again the minister Maria Elisabetta Casellati, the minister Matteo Salvini, and the president of the Region Attilio Fontana. Also present was the University Minister Anna Maria Bernini. Among the guests in the room are the return of the singer Patty Smith, the director Pedro Almodóvar, the French actor Louis Garrel, Ornella Vanoni.
In the square the protest chanted in favor of Palestine while inside the Theater a thought went to Giulia Cecchettin and Giulia Tramontano and to all the victims of feminicide: some guests wore “red” to send a message against violence against women.