Opera Chic

Infinite Jest: La Scala's Chorus & Orchestra Show Up Once Again In Street Clothes, Scala GM Lissner Considers Them To Be On Strike, Unions Cry Foul

Once again, the most unlucky opera production of the year, the Nekrosius-directed "Faust" (thank heavens it wasn't "La Forza") that has been marred by an amazing series of strikes and protests by la Scala's orchestra and chorus, keeps dragging the drama llama out of its stable.

The orchestra and chorus showed up once again in street clothes tonight (just like they did at la prima that Opera Chic saw), and Scala GM Stéphane Lissner probably had enough, finally. So he let the unions know that today will be considered by management to be a day of strike -- ie, chorus and orchestra will not be paid for today's work.

***update***

CGIL Union leader Giancarlo Albori explained to ANSA news agency that Lissner made his decision one hour before curtain, and the union "considers this to be blackmail, an irresponsible act unworthy of a real manager".

Arena di Verona's Ballerinas Come to Milan to Show off their Flash Mob Styles

Fifty of Arena di Verona's ballet dancers descended onto two of Milan's landmarks in flash mob style earlier today, deadpan shaking it to Carmen's Habanera and Il Trovatore's Anvil Chorus with a funky beat (sounds like a Tone Loc "Funky Cold Medina") under the glass dome of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and at Milan's main train station, Stazione Centrale.

Well done, but the Britney Spears flash mob in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is still our favorite! ~1 2 3 not only you & me got 180 degrees & I'm caught in between~

OC Breaks it Down as "Decreto Bondi" Becomes a Law, and the Reform of Italian Opera Houses is on the Way (World Does Not End!)

According to the Secretary of Culture -- and Silvio Berlusconi's right hand man -- Sandro Bondi, the "Decreto Bondi" just approved into law by the Italian Parliament is "indispensable to save italian opera houses from bankruptcy".

According to the unions, the law will murder Italian culture.

Opera Chic took the time to read the (almost 20-page-long) actual document (so that you don't have to -- because frankly, it's not exactly fun and it's in trixsy Italian legalese) and has figured out that:

1) after some tinkering by the Italian President and by Parliament, the law is not as harsh as it was originally stated. 

2) it mostly deals with hiring practices at Italy's Enti Lirici(the foundations that actually run Italy's opera houses), touches the (very Italian, possibly outdated) mechanism of collective bargaining, and requests a renegotiation of old contracts, signed in 2003 by the unions. It also changes the rules to award bonuses to workers.

BUT, and this is a pretty important "but", an actual reform of the opera houses will only come in 18 months -- therefore, we have a year and a half (or more, this being Italy) of more bargaining (and, one fears -- more strikes).

This is not, in fact, a comprehensive reform of the Enti Lirici(the last one was signed in the mid-1990s and nobody likes it anymore, not even the unions).

The new rules extrapolate on a number of provisions:

Bonus package rules have been tightened; government will have more oversight on hiring regulations and the collective bargaining between unions and opera houses; there are new rules for the retirement ages of ballet dancers; comprehensive reform has to happen in 18 months; and there are new self-governance rules for opera houses.

In short, management has right to argue that the new law will make it harder for them to run the opera houses, and yes there will be less money available. But this doesn't appear to be a comprehensive reform that by itself will sink italian opera houses. Of course the Berlusconi government doesn't have any interest in culture or the opera, so this is really not a law that unions might like anyway since it's been written by a government that doesn't exactly -- to put it politely -- have unions in its base.

Breaking: Italian Senate Passes New Law, Reform of Italian Opera Houses Is On The Way

The Italian Senate just passed (150-112) the new law that reforms Italian opera houses and that has ignited a long series of strikes throughout the country.

MAMMA MIA ROBERTO ALAGNA!

This is the best thing ever on all the internets in the entire world.

Allyn Ferguson, 1924-2010

Composer and conductor Allyn Ferguson, the man behind the immortal theme for "Charlie's Angels" and the scores of TV shows such as "Starsky & Hutch" just passed away. Fans of bad, iconic 1970s TV shows mourn.

Staatsoper Wien's Six Hour Marathon, Holender's the Belle of the Ball

 

Six hours after the concert started, historic big cheese of Staatsoper Wien, Ioan Holender, was out with a quickness (well, more like a slowness since he's pushing 80). 

A dozen conductors and roughly 50 opera singers gathered in Vienna last night to party at a farewell gala for the old dude. Placido Domingo, Zubin Mehta, Natalie Dessay, Thomas Quasthoff, Barbara Frittoli, Thomas Hampson, and Anna Netrebko (and friends -- that's totally not a code name for her bewbs) raged all night and toasted the guest of honor, Holender.

Holender has served Staatsoper Wien since 1992 and when he officially ends his contract this summer, he'll be the General Director with the most years of leadership in the opera house's history.

Awesome video here (we're pretty sure Holender gave a frat house style, "Animal House" belch at the end)

Rolando Villazón, "La Cucaracha", México City, 06/17/2010

How Not To Review an Opera: Jay Nordlinger

 

Now, the National Review was founded by a guy who wanted to brand AIDS patients' a$$es and forearms, so you can't really argue with what they deem fit to be printed in the magazine -- it's okay. Still, it's somewhat perplexing that they took the trouble to send a guy all the way to Forth Worth, in the beautiful State of Texas, in this era of budget cuts, to write a 389-word review of a new opera.

The magazine actually gave more space to the piece -- 1935 words. But Jay Nordlinger used up almost all of it to instruct the reader on the cruelty of Che Guevara and the perfidy of nowadays liberals. He only had a few paragraphs left to mention, in passing, that he actually went to the opera that night.

It sort of makes one nostalgic for the voice-obsessed opera reviewers who don't listen to -- or care, or know about -- anything but the voices, and who relegate the conductor -- who's just the person in charge of the whole show, after all -- to the last paragraph, out of courtesy, in a (short) sentence or so. 

Re: William F. Buckley's ideas on the AIDS epidemic, one has to at least be comforted that, even if Reynaldo Arenas was indeed an AIDS victim, Nordlinger didn't mention government-mandated tattoo parlors in his review.

I Capuleti e i Montecchi -- Laura Polverelli, Patrizia Ciofi @ Opéra Royal de Wallonie, 2010

Cool As (Dry) Ice: Rick Owens

One day a smart opera house GM will hire Rick Owens to do the costumes for the coolest opera you'll ever see. Until then, we have to simply enjoy his (fashion) shows -- in the video below, the other day's, in Paris:

More Strikes @ Scala: Tomorrow Night's "Faust" Canceled, Too

More hilarity from Scala's unions: they keep protesting the cost cutting measures that were just passed by the House and will be soon reviewed by the Senate, and they decided to sink tomorrow night's performance of Faust, directed by mad genius Eimuntas Nekrosius and conducted by Stephane Deneve. Opera Chic at this point feels lucky that she witnessed the premiere, despite the mutiny -- even if the chorus was on stage in street clothes and refused to follow Nekrosius's directions and just stood there, singing, and the orchestra was dressed in street clothes, too. Because the second performance was canceled, the third was canceled, too, the fourth is not going to happen either tomorrow night, and the future is just a big fat unionized question mark. So at least we saw half-a$$ed Nekrosius, that it's better than no Nekrosius at all. 

In the video below, la Scala workers and orchestra protest in front of Milan's city hall, right across the street from la Scala.

Fight the powah!

Placidone Shocker, Part II: Domingo To Retire From Singing In January, 2011

Placido Domingo, doing much better -- thankfully -- after a scary bout with cancer -- told Jessica Duchen in The Independent that he plans to retire from singing in January, 2011:

"I just don't want to go further than I should. I suppose there's a certain limit: I don't want to be 70 and still singing opera. I don't think I will still be singing on 21 January 2011, which is my 70th birthday."

Oh, and Opera Chic got namechecked in the story:

Snip Snip Snip, Strike Strike Strike

 

The scene in front of La Scala yesterday of theater workers protesting budget cuts.

Strikes have already plagued this theater the past week, claiming Nekrosius' new Faust production (OC was witness to it here) and cancelling this past Monday night's second replication. The next strike? Tomorrow night's premiere of Romeo e Giulietta ballet. 

 

Mehta's Honor in Valencia

 

Monday night's performance of Carmen in Valencia wasn't special because of a new production or a celebrated opera singer. During a pause, maestro Zubin Mehta was awarded with the Cruz de Honor de Jaume I by Queen Sofia of Spain. Mezzo Elina Garance was also hanging with the maestro at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia since she's singing the lead. Judging by her costume below, this looks more like a wicked ~Carmen on Ice~ Ice Skating Spectacular.   

 

American Gigolos, Rockabillies, Alligator Boys: What Rocked, What Sucked, What F*ç§ed Our S#|t Up At Milan's Menswear Fashion Shows

It was a crazy Fashion Week -- well a long weekend, actually. The highlights of the menswear shows that just ended in Milan, for Opera Chic, are Donatella Versace's Rockabilly kids in high pompadours and ultraslim shiny-grey suits, Rossella Jardini's exquisitely tailored pacifist jackets and grey suits with metal studs and Pop-Art shirts, Frida Giannini's (who, by the way, is probably the coolest woman alive as of today) brash, sexy, 1970s alligator jackets and midnight blues, Tomas Maier's elegant relaxed vibe for Bottega Veneta, Dolce & Gabbana's impossibly cool men in black suits (David Gandy's narrow metal tie clip was a nice touch, too), not to mention Philipp Plein's beautifully made (in Italy) leather gear (Plein turned out to be most definitely one to watch-- he's only 32).

Brahms and Ravel on Vuvuzela

Classical musicians from Konzerthaus Berlin give Brahms and Ravel a go on the Vuvuzela.

Paul Smith for The Royal Ballet: Tokyo Exhibition

 

Quirky British designer Paul Smith, known for his stripey and colorful patterns, just blessed the Milanese with a private talk held during Men's Fashion Week in his Viale Umbria showroom (more on that soon). Swag was a limited edition (of 5000), postcard-sized booklet of photographs, black and white, taken by both Paul Smith and his late father, Harold. Always searching for design inspiration, Sir Paul travels the world with his camera, and his keen eye for line and form has developed into just one more skill of the man who never stops creating.

So after meeting one of his fans, a principal dancer of the Royal Ballet, a collaboration grew and Sir Paul asked to photograph the dancers (like the portrait snapped above). The prints are now on display at his Space store in Tokyo's Aoyama district. “The Royal Ballet Portraits” are on view until July 6. This guy was there for the opening and has the scoop.  

 

Muti's Tribute to Carlos Kleiber

Two nights ago, a pretty extraordinary musical event went down at Vienna's Musikverein: a sold-out tribute concert in memory of the late Carlos Kleiber. One of Kleiber's old friends, Riccardo Muti (who described Kleiber as "il mio carissimo amico" -- Kleiber was very likely the only colleague the not-particularly-humble Muti felt actually in awe of), led the Wiener Philharmoniker in a concert in memory of the great maestro who passed away in 2004 and would have turned 80-years-old on July 3.

The program was made of pieces that were often conducted by Kleiber: Mozart's Linzer symphony (that's Symphony 36 for the uninitiated), Schubert's 8th, and Tchaikovsky's Pathétique. Muti explained that this is just the first concert in a whole series devoted to Kleiber for his 80th birthday: the following day he was off to Ljubljana (CK's wife is from Slovenia and it's where he's buried), then to Athens earlier this evening, and tomorrow to Istanbul.

What breaks Opera Chic's heart is that a man of Kleiber's talent never managed to completely escape his father's shadow (Eric, even though a splendid conductor, is no match for his son's genius) and lived plagued by insecurities and neurosis. When in fact, from his stunning Beethoven's Fifth to his Tristan, Opera Chic can safely say she has never heard a conductor, not even Furtwaengler, make music the way Carlito did, with that fire, and that grace.

Below, is a 1970 clip of Carlos -- who, by the way, is a honorary New Yorker since he went to public high school in the Bronx -- in rehearsal for Weber's Der Freischutz:

"Maestro Metropolitano": Fabio Luisi in Corriere Della Sera

 

This weekend, Milan's daily Corriere della Sera ran a profile on the Genovese maestro, Fabio Luisi, who was chosen a couple months ago by The Metropolitan Opera as Principal Guest Conductor (Opera Chic broke the news here) for the next three years.

Luisi shares his many career highlights in the USA and Europe, and recounts that he initially chose to play sports as a child, but after being diagnosed with asthma, the doctor said to cool it with the athletics. Instead he excelled at piano and was taken as pianist by legendary soprano Leyla Gencer when he was only 18-years-old. 

We don't see him that much in Italy, unfortunately, which he blames partially on the gradual breakdown of Italian opera house structure. But he hints that he'll be back at La Scala in 2012 for a new production of Don Carlo. In the meantime, the Metropolitan Opera has him as PGC, where he'll become "Maestro Metropolitano".

Paoloni for La Scala

Italian menswear label Paoloni's new campaign was shot in Piazza della Scala. Via Manzoni is in the background with Teatro alla Scala on the left.

20 Years of Dolce&Gabbana Menswear: Verdi, Bolle & Hard Liquor -- What More Could You Want?

Last night in a miraculously dry patch of Milan's timid rain, Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana took over Piazza della Scala and Palazzo Marino (Milan's City Hall, adjacent to Teatro alla Scala) to show the city what's what of men's fashion (teaser post here). Twenty years of success in such a fickle market is cause to celebrate, and Dolce & Gabbana's guest list ran deep: American celebs, foreign celebs, and everyone in between threw back hard liquor (Dolce & Gabbana's new "Martini Gold", poured from shiny golden bottles) and greeted Stefano & Domenico at the front entrance with Milan's mayor, Letizia Moratti.

Roberto Bolle was in attendance (and sat front row at the D&G show earlier that day), which makes us think that he'll soon join past & present D&G campaign-friendly faces like Madonna and Matthew McConaughey, no longer with Ferragamo, indoctrinated by fellow Italian ballerina, Eleonora Abbagnato, who was also in attendance last night. Later that evening, the VIPs of the VIPs joined D&G at their Gold restaurant in Piazza Risorgimento (that OC stops in frequently when she's in the area for delicious brioche and cappuccini)

Dolce & Gabbana, who are usually present at La Scala's prestigious opening nights on Sant'Ambrogio, blasted Verdi instead of the usual techno/house in a special tribute to the Italian composer.  

 
~*~

 

Click for more photos of Bolle, Abbagnato, and the special Verdi program. You can also check out Milan babe Tamu of All The Pretty Birds, who was on site to capture an eloquent, stylish, and less cleavage-crass darling of the night. 

Anna Caterina Ant(.)(.)nacci Sings

Pretty amazing bewbular photo of Anna Caterina Antonacci @ Opera Comique on GTL Torn T

Anna Cate sang a Belle Epoque recital -- music by Hahn, Fauré, Bachelet, Tosti, Cimara, Toscanini, Respighi, Tirindelli, and Zandonai. 

Twirl with the New York City Ballet

NYCB, the largest dance organization in America, gets their groove on in a parody skit far from the Vaganova method /lol/. The skit features NYCB Dancers Sara Mearns, Amar Ramasar, Amanda Hankes and others. We're not sure this is what George Balanchine had in mind, but Lincoln Kirstein would be proud.

Nekrošius’ Mutinous Faust La Prima: La Scala Makes For a Wild Ride to Hell

 

La Scala's new Eimuntas Nekrošius production of Gounod's Faust should have been one of the slightly cooler beacons in a depressing season packed with banal duds and tarnished stars. Lithuanian director Nekrošius, a master of modern stage direction, is celebrated in Europe for good reason as a progressive, imaginative, intelligent artist who brings peculiar and unique symbolism to theater and opera repertory. But La Scala, brimming with political nonsense and selfishness, blew up the new production quicker than the Hindenburg (too soon??!).

Cranky loggione (and frankly, all rightful ticketholders of Scala's bloated prices and hefty, non-refundable processing fees) decided from the punctual, 8pm separation of the magenta curtains that the show would not triumph. Not that there was much to be celebratory for: the week leading to opening night carried ripe rumors of a strike-keen staff. And when the curtain finally raised last night, there was a inconvenient stipulation: the chorus -- an unmatched mass in plain clothes and yellow ribbons pinned to their chests -- came out on stage before Stéphane Denève took to the podium and read their union's statement (bafflingly, in Italian only) explaining to the audience that they'd be un-costumed and unwilling to follow Nekrošius' direction in protest of government budget cuts. WTF? The loggione rioted with shouts of "Vergogna" and "These people have no respect -- we've paid for our tickets", booooo, hiss, rinse, repeat -- just another night at La Scala where opera is a contact sport and drama is a way of your life, right?

Then there was the orchestra, in mismatched jeans and t-shirts, who passive-aggressively delayed the curtain opening at the end of each pause, culminating in an opera that lasted 4.5 hours (the website estimated the show would only last 3.5 hours) and a booo-soaked curtain call that jeered the entire cast (including the supers!) -- although Irina Lungu’s Marguerite was spared consternation for her excellent interpretation. Booing which was not completely deserved by a decent (‘tho at times mediocre) cast and an adept conductor. But Nekrošius was robbed of his vision by the childish tactics of a chaotic, disorganized opera house that just can't seem to sort it out. If you destroy it, they won't come.

Click the link to read the rest!