Opera Chic is back snug in Milan, and will post tomorrow about Muti’s conducting of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale (in one word: "teh"), which was attended earlier tonight at Teatro Dante Alighieri in Ravenna.
For now, there is just one piece of breaking news from Teatro alla Scala tonight concerning the chorus: They have decided to boycott this Saturday night's annual Concerto di Natale, to be conducted by Maestro Pierre Boulez.
The program reflects an all-Stravinsky selection (Le chant du rossignol, Le sacre du printemps, and the choral Symphony of Psalms), with the chorus appearing only for the Symphony of Psalms. However, seeing that the concerto would be televised, they approached Lissner for an additional stipend to supplement their previously-agreed fee. Lissner refused, and the chorus has been cut from the program completely. Thank goodness the remaining program does not require a chorus, as last year’s presentation was Barenboim's Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
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Also to report is that soprano Natalie Dessay has cancelled her February 2007 Teatro alla Scala appearance in Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment. She was supposed to sing Marie, but has pulled-out. (btw, we have Flórez Flórez Flórez singing Tonio, so Opera Chic will mos def be there.) Click here for a magnificent cache of Dessay still listed for La Fille du Régiment on the Teatro alla Scala website.
There is no official reason, but the off-the-record buzz is this: Dessay was under the impression (duh!) that Zeffirelli had created a new production of La Fille du Régiment (as he had done for Aida). Instead, Teatro alla Scala will recycle the old Zeffirelli production for La Fille. So Dessay was all like, kthxbi xoxoxox