Here it is, Milan’s legendary Teatro alla Scala, one of the world’s oldest (and newest) opera houses, first built in 1778, scene of the world premieres of operas by Rossini, Bellini, Verdi, Ponchielli, Boito, Puccini and many others. Some of the world’s greatest singers have performed here, like Maria Malibran Read More …
When I took this photo on a sunny spring morning I was trying to get La Scala from the same angle as in a famous painting by Angelo Inganni from the year 1852. At that time the opera house was in a narrow street because the square, Piazza della Scala, Read More …
The two upper tiers at La Scala are known as the galleries. For my second evening at La Scala I paid € 24.00 for a ticket in the last row of the topmost gallery. From the seat itself I could see nothing, but since there was no one behind me Read More …
If for some reason you would like to attend an opera performance at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala (even after reading my other posts about it, LOL), you of course have to buy a ticket, which can be a problem since performances are generally sold out weeks or months ahead of Read More …
A few days before each premiere La Scala presents an introductory talk, in Italian, about the upcoming production. These talks are held in the “Arturo Toscanini” foyer at 6 pm. Admission is free and you don’t need a ticket to get in, you just have to be one of the Read More …
In one wing of the opera house, off to the left of the main entrance, is the Museo Teatrale alla Scala (Theater Museum of La Scala). The first photo shows the entrance to the museum, which is also the entrance to the galleries when there is an opera performance. And Read More …
This state-of-the-art 21st century theater was inaugurated on January 19, 2002 with a performance of the opera La traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi, and for the next three years this was Milan’s main opera venue while the historic Teatro alla Scala was being restored and restructured. In fact, the Teatro degli Read More …
The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) traveled from Cremona to Milan by stagecoach on January 23, 1770, four days before his fourteenth birthday. He was traveling with his father, Leopold Mozart, on their first (of three) long journeys to Italy from their home in Salzburg. Milan’s opera house at the Read More …
The composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was born and raised about a hundred kilometers southeast of Milan near the town of Busseto, in the province of Parma, but Milan was an important city for him throughout his life. Five of his early operas had their world premieres at the Teatro alla Read More …
Since Giuseppe Verdi once applied to be a student at the Milan Conservatory and was not admitted, it might seem ironic that the Conservatory is now named after him. But actually they turned him down mainly on formal grounds, because he had applied too late and was not a resident Read More …