Daily newspaper Repubblica reports today that Claudio Abbado, former music director of la Scala fired by the orchestra in 1986, who hasn't conducted again the Scala orchestra since then and who had only sporadically conducted at la Scala in later years, and always with guest orchestras (his last appearence at la Scala took place in 1993 with the Berliner Philharmoniker), will return to la Scala to conduct a concert later this year next year.
Abbado had asked city authorities to plant 90,000 trees as a form of payment for his Scala gig; city authorities approved a tree-planting plan, and Abbado has said yes, he will indeed appear at la Scala.(Above, Repubblica's page)