Big update!! Okay, so we know that there was a bit of mystery last night surrounding the Daniel Barenboim recital at Teatro alla Scala, as he shunned the adoring Milan audience by hastily leaving the theater without a single encore.
We just didn't understand: we showed Barenboim much love and respect last night and the audience (Maurizio Pollini among the crowd) applauded him heartily. We called for encores, and even gave him standing ovations (well, the platea seats are too expensive to raise one's a$$ off of them, people there never give standing ovations) but he still refused.
Word has it that it was indeed the 2nd row camera sniper that had Barenboim's panties in a twist (btw, it seemed to OC last night that the photo detractor was in the first row, but apparently not)...
Opera Chic has learned that Barenboim was visibly pissed during the intermission, even after he scolded the detractor during his first curtain call (in front of the entire auditorium) by charging towards the camera-wielder and wagging his finger angrily.
La Scala General Manager Stéphane Lissner was brought in for damage-control, and asked a reluctant, still-pissed-off Barenboim to make the audience happy and play again, just once. But Barenboim was all like, awwww hells naw. And he decided to punish the entire hall (Maurizio Pollini included) for one guy's lack of discretion.
Even more jarring about his abduction is that a lovely reader from Bologna had written OC with a full report of Barenboim's Bologna recital just two days prior, where he treated the fans to a *full hour* of bis:
“The public started screaming non-stop, and we then had an hour of encores, Evgeny Kissin style. Mostly Frédéric Chopin, including a Polonaise that brought the house down!!!” [thanks for the review, again, Big D!]
Now, Opera Chic is on the record in this blog and in IRL as saying that Barenboim is a wonderful artist, a committed musician, a man of peace, and a generous intellectual.
He's also an ex-child prodigy...and OC knows he's still a prodigy; she just thought he wasn't a child anymore. *snaps*
(photo from daniel barenboim)