So Bootleg It Almost Hurts: 2007/8 La Scala Season

In the precious few hours before Teatro alla Scala makes official today's announcement for Season 2007/8 (omg omg omg), and knowing that a flood of international visitors will be clamoring to make the connection to read about the latest offerings from Stéphane Lissner, the brilliant team behind the Teatro alla Scala website has taken the entire site offline due to 'maintainance activities'. bwahahahah! [ed: guys, it’s spelled ‘maintenance’ fwiw tia loalz. but well done with ‘inconvenience’…you got that off.] [insert 'How many IT techs does it take to update a basic calendar app?' joke here]

But as always, you come to Opera Chic for the latest breaking news…so here we have it! R U RRAEDY??!!

General Manager Stephane Lissner has created a new powerhouse season with 260 performances, broken-down into fourteen opera(s) and six ballet(s). The 2007/8 season will open, as always, on Sant'Ambrogio (December 7) with Daniel Barenboim's conducting of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, directed by Patrice Chéreau (and NO ALAGNA this time!!)

Daniel Barenboim will also conduct in June 2008 Prokofiev's The Gambler, Verdi's Requiem on November 9, 2007, and Bruckner's 8th with Berlin's Staatskapelle in July 2008. From January to June 2008 Barenboim, who holds the title of Maestro Scaligero (that was once Wilhelm Furtwangler's), will play the complete Beethoven sonatas.

Among the conductors who will appear in 2007/08 at Teatro alla Scala: Riccardo Chailly will conduct Puccini's Il Trittico, the Concerto di Natale on December 22, 2007, and Rossini's Stabat Mater; also making appearances will be Daniele Gatti; Daniel Harding; Gustavo Dudamel (La Boheme); Lorin Maazel (Wozzeck).

General Manager Stephane Lissner has signed a deal with French-German satellite channel Arté: la "prima", the Concerto di Natale, and a Tchaikovsky Gala on December 31 (Roberto Bolle will dance!).

The kewlest parts of the new season?

1. La Scala has finally invited their first woman conductor to appear: Marin Alsop. (*looks at timeline/watch/calendar...thinks wtf?!*). you;ve come a long way, bebbeh!

2. Terry Gilliam will direct Andrea Chenier in June '08 (with Daniel Oren conducting). dang, kip!

3. On September 16, 2007, for the 30th anniversary of Maria Callas's death, a documentary about her life will be shown in the Ridotto dei Palchi, and two exhibits will be dedicated to her at the Museo della Scala.

For our star vocalists, La Scala will show many of the same singers that have graced the stage in the past few seasons:

December 7th's la prima will have Tristan und Isolde with Ian Storey and Waltraud Meier in the leads. January 15th will see Donizetti's Maria Stuarda with Anna Caterina Antonacci as Elisabetta and Mariella Devia as Maria. The end of January is Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac with Plácido Domingo in the title role! March will bring Il Trittico with Juan Pons, Barbara Frittoli, and Leo Nucci. Our April Fools Day Verdi's Macbeth (directed by Graham Vick) is with Nucci and Violeta Urmana. The beginning-of-June Andrea Chenier will bring Marcelo Álvarez in the title role, with Maddalena as Fiorenza Cedolins to Renato Bruson's Gerard. Juan Diego Florez -- who lives just around the corner in Bergamo -- and Magdalena Kozena will appear in recitals.

The opera season will end with an operetta, Franz Lehár's Merry Widow.

Ballet season will begin December 14th with Bourmeister's Swan Lake and will end with Neumeier's La Dame aux camélias.

This new season looks tight. We can't wait to have ourselves a listen! 

Comments

[fignaz]

Terry Gilliam & ANDREA CHENIER ??? I can see it now-- after Maddalena & Andrea are carted off to their date with Madame La Guillotine, a chorus of headless aristos comes on & and sings a rousing rendition of, "Always Look On The Bright Side Of The Reign Of Terror" ....... or maybe the "Spam Song" ..... or..... Nurse ! Where are my meds ?!? ;-)

[R.]

Two things leave me dumbfounded, and one excited, from reading your blog this morning. In no particular order:
-Having to wait until December for opera (I thought September lay far enough ahead)
-The thought of Terry Gilliam directing Chénier
-Alagna's pants, which make the Baby Jesus cry.

[magicmusic21]

I just wanted to let you know that I love your blog. It's respectful, irreverent and hilarious all at the same time.