BREAKING NEWS: Strike @ La Scala Sinks Dudamel's Boheme, Premiere On July 7 and July 9 & 11 Shows Canceled

The upcoming Bohéme, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, is the last OMG-IT'S-UNMISSABLE show to appear at La Scala for the next, like, year, considering how weak, on-the-cheap, repertory-heavy and star-deprived next season will be (the already really expensive tickets, on the other hand, will cost 10% more).

Scala workers, today, have duly decided to go on strike and sink the first three shows of the boy wonder of the podium (who, like another rising star, Daniel Harding, has not been booked to appear at la Scala next season and possibly neither in the 2010-11 season): anyway, the premiere of July 7 and the second and third show, on the 9th and 11th will not happen unless the unions decide to cancel the cancellation. 

O.K., the production is the old dusty one by Zeffirelli since the theater clearly didn't want to shell out the cash to rent a newer production to give Dudamel, but still, this is pretty sad in so many ways.

:-(

Comments

[gesztenye]

They are soooooo dmnéskjbwvtznorztueijlhrhargggggghhhhhh... Loooosers... they don't really care about ART!!!!!!!!! which is their profession. No words, again.

[Paolo M.]

They committed artistic suicide.

[Madama Flutterbye]

This is pathetic. I have friends who are leaving for Milan this weekend to catch one of those Bohemes. They will be devastated.

La Scala's musicians are really looking like a bunch of spoiled, bratty, whiny kids. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I swear I read somewhere that one of the smaller orchestras in Milan is in serious financial trouble, so the entire orchestra has already been playing for a year without pay? I remember something like this. It's a shame that the La Scala orchestra makes something with a potential to be so gorgeous into a giant, sterile bureaucracy.

[Madama Flutterbye]

Oh! And I almost forgot: THANK YOU Opera Chic for always giving us the breaking news. I don't know how I would survive opera without your companionship! You're always right on the pulse of everything opera oriented. Bless you.

[dze]

In Paris we're usually hit by the strikes. I knock wood as it doesn't happen (yet) this year. Instead we're being spoiled these last months. After the brilliant Carsen's "I Capuleti e I Montecchi" with Anna Netrebko and Joyce DiDonato, we have the fabulous "Falstaff" in Theatre des Champs Elysees with L.Tezier, Corbelli and A.C.Antonacci. Tomorrow in Theatre de Chatelet it's la prima of David Cronenberg's "The Fly" with Placido Domingo conducting (it's the opera creation after the movie you all surely know -- now in Paris and coming September in LA). Plus we have Graham Vick's "Don Carlo" at La Bastille with Hovorstovski, Furlanetto and Secco, plus a sweet opera "Louise" by Gustave Cherpentier... Top that with a load of concerts, recitals... - e.g. next week the one with Villazon & Florez. I mean, REALLY, seriously spoiled!

[Bill Philin-Ploplis]

OC, exactly how many performances/productions have been cancelled at Scala this season? It seems like a ridiculously high number. The public must be rather irritated by the situation.

[Andrew Powell]

OC says "Scala workers." Not sure if that includes "La Scala's musicians" (Flutterbye).

[G-Wag]

Dude, Duder, Gustavo Dudamel if you're not into the whole brevity thing... Surely the unions will realise he's hardly "The Man".

[SusieQ]

Dear Operachic...Are the first 3 shows definately cancelled or is there a chance of a reprieve? I recently travelled to Geneva to See Don Carlo and I would have been devastated if it had been cancelled. I feel so sad for those whose have bought tickets...Thanks so much for all your great information ..

[Opera Chic]

SusieQ: this being Italy, as a rule everything is uncertain -- will your letter be delivered, will the bus eventually appear on the horizon, etc. But at this point the unions are asking GM Lissner for 3 million euros more than what he has offered for their bonus package, not exactly pocket change. They'll also look very silly if they retreat at this point, so it's highly likely that at least one or more of those nights will indeed not happen because of a strike. Anyway, those who have tickets will be refunded. Those who have traveled here just for the opera, well, it's entirely another business.

As they say here, "Chi vivrà vedrà!"

[PG]

I was one of the fools who bought tickets for the July 7 Boheme. In Italy, there was no indication that the performances were canceled. In fact, on July 6 the La Scala orchestra performed a benefit in the Piazza del Duomo, and the signs at La Scala still listed all the performances. Then on July 7 there was also a nationwide transportation strike, and after taking a taxi to the theater we were greeted with a tiny printed sign that indicated the first three performances were canceled, with absolutely no instructions about how to get a refund. I met people from Germany, Great Britain, and even Australia who had no idea the performances were canceled. As if this were not bad enough, La Scala has made it virtually impossible for anyone to get a refund. They sent out tickets to anyone who bought them in advance, and now they are demanding that you mail your tickets (using the abominable Italian postal system) to them by July 26 and supply them with your confidential bank information in order to get a refund. Considering how awful their Web site is (it took me about 5 hours to get the tickets, and then I had to go to another Web site to purchase them, as La Scala's constantly said that the code they gave me was "not valid"), it is unlikely that anyone will be able to get a refund through, and they indicate they will not accept refund requests by mail, fax, or e-mail. Their box office (hidden in what looks like an underground Metro entrance near the Duomo) refused to give a refund when I managed to find it. No wonder Verdi refused to set foot in La Scala for decades. They are the biggest crooks in the world.

[Timothy and Eleanor Dowlen]

Dear Operachic
We were two of those who especially booked and paid for hotels in Milan and spent time and money to get there. However we had warning through your site - thanks! We were livid (that is mild) and pitied other travellers who had no advance warning. In addition, we had fought the Scala website to get the tickets for our event of a lifetime. However, there was a lot of quality music in Milan that week: we found an excellent open-air concert by Orchestra i Pomeriggi Musicali on the 11th July. Being Milan however there was almost no publicity and less than 50 people turned up to a beautiul courtyard setting at a cost of 10 euros. Local Italians we talked to were despondent! We followed instructions and posted the form in Milan but three weeks on have not been refunded our 350 euros. Tim & Eleanor Dowlen