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 …
This modest looking building on the square Largo Gustav Mahler in Milan was originally used as a cinema starting in 1939, but it later stood empty for many years before it was rebuilt as a concert hall, the Auditorium di Milano, which was inaugurated in October 1999. Since then, the Read More …
The one thing I really messed up on my visit to Milan in 2008 was that I didn’t see the exhibition Ricordi e i Fantastici 5 — and why not? Because I didn’t notice the little sticker saying it had been extended, so I thought it was all over before Read More …
This young mother in her high heeled boots, hip-hugging trousers and fur stole, with her child’s seat on the back of her bike, was one of the many Milanese who used their bicycles daily as their main form of urban transportation back in 2008. I was highly impressed at the Read More …
After riding by several times on my bicycle I got curious about what they were hiding under the white wrappings, so I went in and had a look at the big art museum called Pinacoteca di Brera. This was not a Christo wrap-up event. They were simply renovating the façade Read More …
On my visit to Verona in August 2006 I saw three open-air opera performances in the Arena: Verdi’s Aida, Bizet’s Carmen and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. What they had in common was that all three productions were by the same stage director, Franco Zeffirelli (1923-2019), who also designed the stage sets Read More …
The stage for Zeffirelli’s production of Verdi’s Aida in the Arena of Verona is dominated by two large statues of ancient Egyptian pharaohs (rulers), which between performances are stored out in front of the Arena on the Piazza Bra. Here are some more of the stage elements for Aida in Read More …
In this daytime photo you can see the various seating categories in the Arena of Verona. The most expensive seats look white in the photo because they are protected during the day by heavy white plastic covers. These are the “Poltronissime” seats or first sector stalls, now subdivided into “Poltronissime GOLD” Read More …
If you are sitting on the steps (reserved or unreserved) for an opera performance in the Arena di Verona, don’t forget to pick up a candle from the large unmarked box in the middle of the gate where you go in. These are small candles like the ones used on Read More …