The Marcelo Alvarez decision to cancel his Scala engagements -- Andrea Chenier next June directed by Terry Gilliam & conducted by Daniel Oren, with Fiorenza Cedolins, and next year's prima, 12/7/2008 in Don Carlos under Daniele Gatti's baton -- opens a big hole in the season's roster, and in next season's too: if Ian Storey got his Tristan part only after Barenboim's first choice -- Burkhard Fritz -- said no, well, losing a big name like Alvarez TWICE opens a huge can of contractual worms.
If we ran la Scala -- and one day we will, oh we will -- we'd hire the best Chenier out there, Fabio Armiliato. But then we'd have hired him from day 1, and Dessì in Cedolin's place. Then, for shock value, we'd hire Alagna for Don Carlos, settling the lawsuit and getting lots of press for it.
And it would all be a lot of fun.
Now, not so much.