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La Scala in May . I | THURSDAY,JUNE 11,2015 ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT THURSDAY,JUNE 11,2015 | II ‘‘Turandot’’ was performed at La Scala in May. Here, Nina Stemme as Turandot at center stage; above her, Carlo Bosi as the emperor; and, on the right, Aleksandr Antonenko as Calaf. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE How do opera houses, festivals and orchestras maintain tradition while moving their art forms forward, build and educate new audiences, and take advantage of technical innovations in communications and stagecraft? LEADER’S VISION PUCCINI CYCLE GREAT MUSIC FOR NEW GENERATIONS A REAPPRAISAL OF AN ITALIAN MASTER lexander Pereira wakes up every morning with productions to be developed in-house. The programming hen the latest production of ‘‘Turandot’’ Chailly —along with other Puccini scholars —argue that 50 things he wants to accomplish that day. This breakdown calls for roughly one-third new productions, opened at La Scala on May 1, it was the 28th Puccini’s importance as acomposer spanning the 19th- A bodes for a certain degree of frustration when one-third from La Scala’s archives and one-third co- W version of this world-renowned work to be per- century Italian tradition and 20th-century modernism they can’t all be achieved, but the general manager of La productions new to the Milan audience. formed at the Milan opera house. But some operas by has been undervalued. Unlike Verdi and Rossini, Pereira Scala is undeterred: ‘‘I always feel I have too much Pereira would like to maintain a balance of 50-50 be- Giacomo Puccini are underrepresented or presented in explains, Puccini continues to be seen by many as a sen- energy,’’ he says. tween Italian and non-Italian operas, and intends to do altered versions, or have never been heard at all. timental composer, and his works are presented in ver- Pereira was appointed to his current position in June this by increasing the number of new co-productions. He Alexander Pereira, general manager of La Scala, says sions not faithful to his original concept. AMISANO 2014. He had previously served as artistic director of the will focus the new in-house productions on the periods of that Puccini merits greater consideration. His selection His final opera, ‘‘Turandot,’’ has been called the last Salzburg Festival, and before that spent more than two verismo and bel canto. Right now, he says, there is only of Riccardo Chailly as principal conductor of La Scala last ‘‘popular’’ Italian opera and the first ‘‘modern’’ one. decades as artistic director of the Zurich Opera. one bel canto opera, ‘‘Elisir d’amore,’’ in La Scala’s rep- December coincides with this interest: Chailly is not only Puccini evokes Stravinsky, and the story itself encom- BRESCIA His reputation as an innovative manager was ertoire. There is only one Donizetti, one Mascagni a native of Milan but also a world-respected scholar of passes both traditional and modern themes. Riccardo Chailly, confirmed immediately. Pereira instituted a new and no Bellini at all. Other Italian composers such Puccini. So it comes as no surprise that La Scala has Puccini died in 1924 with the opera’s last scene unfin- principal conductor program for children’s opera, introduced low- as Umberto Giordano, Francesco Cilea and embarked on a presentation of all Puccini’s works in ished, and the most commonly performed ending has at La Scala. cost tickets to draw an untapped audience of Amilcare Ponchielli are also unrepresented. coming years. been that written by Franco Alfano in 1926. For La opera lovers, initiated a Puccini cycle and de- ‘‘I think by augmenting the number of new ‘‘I am very much counting on Riccardo Chailly,’’ says Scala’s ‘‘Turandot’’ performed in May, the last scene is a veloped programming to explore composers productions per year, we have to concentrate Pereira. ‘‘I think he is the ideal man at the right time. He is version written by the Italian composer Luciano Berio of Italian verismo, the ‘‘realistic’’ style of opera on these two periods,’’ says Pereira. ‘‘La Scala concentrated on presenting the operas of Puccini and that takes into account and accentuates Puccini’s mod- that emerged in the late 19th century, as well has to concentrate on a very important part of will have very new readings. We will try to give a new vi- ernist development. Chailly conducted the premiere of as non-Italian composers who have not been its opera patrimony. That is why half the oper- sion of how Puccini is to be presented.’’ Pereira and this version in 2002. well represented at La Scala up till now. as should be Italian operas. This is not a provin- The Puccini opera to be presented in 2016, ‘‘La Fan- ‘‘From the beginning Iwent in the direction cial perspective. La Scala has to show its ciulla del West’’ (The Girl of the West), will be faithful to in which I wanted to go,’’ says Pereira. ‘‘I did Alexander Pereira, heritage in Italian opera, including that of the Puccini’s original score, not the version altered by Tosca- what I thought was in good faith for La Scala.’’ general manager early 19th and 20th centuries.’’ nini for its 1910 world premiere in New York. Children’s opera proved a success. At first, of La Scala. The new productions will include at least ‘‘Toscanini thickened the score considerably, due to 20,000 tickets were offered to the community one commissioned work per year. ‘‘You can the acoustics of the old Met Opera House,’’ explains for shortened versions of kid-friendly operas like drive yourself crazy with a theme, so we try not to do ‘‘Cinderella,’’ and they sold out immediately. The current that,’’ admits Pereira. ‘‘We chose acomposer carefully ticket total is 40,000, and it too is almost entirely sold AMISANO and discuss the project, but don’t give aspecific out. After each performance, the singers and musicians theme.’’ ‘WEWILL TRY TO GIVE ANEW VISION OF HOW mingle with the audience for more than an hour. The future opera calendar will also include French, Ger- PUCCINI IS TO BE PRESENTED’ ‘‘It was so new for this theater that you had to imple- BRESCIA man and Russian works that are not well represented. ment it to prove that it works,’’ says Pereira, noting that Pereira does not want to be specific because so much de- the Milanese have ‘‘absorbed this program like a pends on the availability of specific performers for specif- Pereira. ‘‘To bring it back to Puccini’s original version is sponge. They gave me the feeling that there is a wonder- ic dates, but he points out that no Schubert opera has another aspect of this project.’’ ful framework here for new ideas.’’ been performed at La Scala. Carl Maria von Weber, Alex- The calendar for future operas in the cycle will depend on the availability of singers and directors, so it is prema- Pereira encountered more reluctance when he intro- ander Zemlinsky and Franz Schreker are other com- SCALA duced a program for low-cost tickets, but implementation posers who warrant attention, in his view. ture to speculate on them now. Chailly has conducted im- again showed the wisdom of his proposal. A ‘‘Turandot’’ Pereira views the future of opera optimistically. ‘‘If ALLA portant productions of ‘‘Madama Butterfly,’’ ‘‘Tosca,’’ ‘‘Il performance at half price sold out in two and a half hours. you agree with me that our civilization needs to preserve Trittico’’ and ‘‘La Bohème,’’ as well as ‘‘Turandot,’’ ‘‘La Fan- What is significant is that there is no cannibalization of La some of our great artistic achievements in history for TEATRO ciulla del West’’ and ‘‘Manon Lescaut.’’ Another in the off- Scala regulars, he points out. Attendees tend to be people coming generations, and we talk about music, Ihave an ing is the original four-act version of ‘‘Edgar.’’ living outside Milan who have never been to the opera obligation to keep these great masterworks in produc- Presentation of Puccini’s work requires an examina- house and want to go at least once in their lifetime. tion. If we succeed, we really have something to convey tion of past performances, Pereira says: ‘‘You have to ‘‘We may have created the basis for a new audi- to new generations.’’ FOTOGRAFICO know them and you have to confront them. You need to ence,’’ says Pereira. He had introduced asimilar pro- Opera is expensive, he admits, but notes: ‘‘You don’t have knowledge of tradition at every moment of musical gram in Zurich, and wound up attracting new attendees. throw Mona Lisa in the garbage because the insurance AMISANO history. Chailly will definitely keep those traditions that he The general manager and his team are planning 15 costs are high. An excellent performance transmits ARCHIVIO finds right but he will challenge those that are definitely operas and seven ballets per season, including eight energy to future generations.’’ C . F. Puccini died in 1924, before being able to finish ‘‘Turandot.’’ wrong.’’ C . F. BRESCIA THE ART OF THE MUSICIAN BEHIND THE SCENES SHARING TRADITION AND ENTHUSIASM A MAKEUP ARTIST’S LIFE IN THE THEATER hen you spend your life striving for excellence, something as fundamental to its members as breathing, there is something satisfying about meeting says Krumpöck. The world of theater is changing, and responsible for Libardo’s career path at teaches these arts, but she learned W others who do the same. That is how Harald ‘‘We have all been striving for a certain way of playing makeup artists are changing along with La Scala. She had been studying to them the old-fashioned way, by working Krumpöck, managing director of the Vienna Philharmon- since we were small,’’ he explains.
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