|
 Masked members of the
orchestra, conducted by in-house music director
Riccardo Chailly, and of the choir performed
arias by Giuseppe Verdi, Richard Wagner and
other renowned composers in an empty auditorium,
with about 500 masked people watching the
concert from the surrounding boxes.
The concert - marking the debut at La Scala of
34-year-old Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen -
won a five-minute ovation and ended with an
encore of Verdi's "Va, Pensiero".
"It is a symbol of restart not only for La Scala,
but for Italy as a whole," said Artistic
Director Dominique Meyer.
With COVID-19 cases and deaths decreasing, Italy
is assessing loosening lockdown measures and
plans to lift quarantine restrictions for
travellers arriving from European countries,
Britain and Israel as early as mid-May.
Italy shut its theatres and concert halls last
October to contain a resurgence of the pandemic
after the summer. Coffee bars, restaurants,
cinemas and theatres partially reopened in most
regions on April 26.
[to top of second column]
|
 The concert also marked the
75th anniversary of the reopening of the Milan
opera house after World War Two bombings.
"It was a sort of regaining of what we had
before the pandemic. Being here tonight gives me
goose bumps," said 47-year-old jeweller Andrea
Sangalli.
 With the situation gradually improving in the
northern Lombardy region around Milan, one of
Italy's areas hardest hit by the pandemic, La
Scala is expected to unveil its new season this
month.
On Tuesday, director Riccardo Muti will conduct
a concert with the Wiener Philharmoniker
orchestra, while British conductor Daniel
Harding is scheduled to take the stage on May
17.
Tickets for all three performances are sold out.
(Reporting by Sara Rossi; Editing by Dan Grebler)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
