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One of the great historical shows is revived at La Scala, Mozart’s “Rap from the Seraglio” directed by Strehler, with sets and costumes by Damiani. Conducting the young talent Thomas Guggeis, revealed in Berlin thanks to Barenboim, today on the podium of the Frankfurt Opera; beautiful singing company. After the Italian dates with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra last January, Riccardo Muti returns to Turin with Verdi’s “Ballo in maschera”; we remember his direction at La Scala in 2001, directed by Liliana Cavani.
Milano
On 25 and 29 February and 3-5-8-10 March at La Scala the opera “Il ratto dal serraglio” by Mozart, in the legendary staging designed by Giorgio Strehler, with sets and costumes by Luciano Damiani for the Salzburg Festival 1965, then revived in Florence and from 1972 at La Scala, a show that made the history of the theatre. In the hole the young Thomas Guggeis, director of the Frankfurt Opera; in the company Jessica Pratt as Konstanze, Daniel Behle as Belmonte, Jasmine Delfs as Blonde and Peter Rose as Osmin. The acting part of Selim is entrusted to Sven-Eric Bechtolf. The direction is taken over by Laura Galmarini, who had already taken over the last time, in 2017. “You have to take everything lightly and everything seriously. Mozart is very attentive to feelings, there is the comic element but presented with great elegance, with enchanting grace; and the whole story is always within the arcane limits of the impossible” (Strehler).
An introductory conversation about the opera held by Franco Pulcini will be held one hour before the start of each performance, at the Ridotto dei palchi. The performance on 3 March will be broadcast from 7.45pm in live streaming on the LaScalaTv platform; it will remain available until March 10. At La Scala Strehler created 35 directions of 33 titles between 1947 and 1990 for over 480 performances in total. Among the authors presented above all Mozart and Verdi, but also Cimarosa, Petrassi, Malipiero, Perosi, Ghedini, Rota, Stravinsky, Weill, Dessau.
Torino
From 21 February to 3 March (with youth preview on the 19th) at the Teatro Regio six performances of Verdi’s opera “Un Ballo in Maschera”, conducted by Riccardo Muti. In the company Piero Pretti as Riccardo, Luca Micheletti (who we remember in Turin as Don Giovanni, again with Muti) in the role of Renato and Lidia Fridman as Amelia. The direction is signed by Andrea De Rosa, who has already collaborated with Muti on “Don Pasquale” and “The Unexpected Marriage” by Paisiello. The Turin public was able to appreciate his directorial reading in Schumann/Byron’s “Manfred” and in the diptych “Goyescas” by Granados and “Suor Angelica” by Puccini. The scenes are by Nicolas Bovey, Ubu Prize 2021 and 2022, Le Maschere del Teatro Prize; the costumes are designed by Ilaria Ariemme. The opera will be presented on February 14th at 6pm at the Piccolo Regio Puccini, in the free admission conference-concert conducted by Susanna Franchi.