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☆ La Scala Opera Taps an Italian to Be Its Next Leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, one of the world’s most prestigious and storied opera houses, announced Tuesday that its next leader would be Fortunato Ortombina, who is currently general director of Venice’s opera house, Teatro La Fenice. Ortombina will succeed Dominique Meyer, a respected French impresario who has run La Scala since 2020 and who previously led the Vienna State Opera. “A decision has finally been reached,” Mayor Giuseppe Sala of Milan, who is the chairman of the foundation that runs the opera house, said Tuesday after a board meeting. The appointment of Ortombina ended months of speculation and whispers in the opera world. “After three foreign general directors, Stéphane Lissner, Alexander Pereira and Dominique Meyer, an Italian returns to La Scala,” he said in a statement, which noted that the practice of Italian opera singing had recently been added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.

Persons: Fortunato Ortombina, Ortombina, Dominique Meyer, Giuseppe Sala of, Gennaro Sangiuliano, “, Stéphane Lissner, Alexander Pereira, ” Organizations: Scala, Teatro La Fenice, La Scala, Vienna State Opera, ” Locations: Milan, French, Giuseppe Sala of Milan

The project, dubbed Metamorphosis, focuses on transforming what otherwise might be discarded into something of value to society: rotten wood into fine instruments, inmates into craftsmen, all under the principle of rehabilitation. Two inmates were granted leave to see the concert featuring 14 prison-made stringed instruments playing a program that included works by Bach and Vivaldi. Other inmates, like Nikolae, who joined Lamponi at La Scala, are permitted more latitude. His own rocky journey to a new country has given him an understanding of the desperation that drove migrants onto unseaworthy boats. Originally, the boats were being transformed into crucifixes and nativity scenes, but the inmates who were already trained luthiers thought: why not instruments?

Persons: Bach, Vivaldi, Giuseppe Sala, “, ”, Claudio Lamponi, Nikolae, Lamponi, Nikolae —, ’ ’, ” Lamponi, Andrea Volonghi, ’ ’ Volonghi, Mario Brunello, Arnoldo Mosca Mondadori Organizations: MILAN, Orchestra of, Scala, La Scala, rosaries, Opera, Spirit and Arts Foundation, Orchestra Locations: Italy’s, La, Rome, Tunisia, Cremona, Milan

☆ In Maria Callas’s Career, La Scala Played a Major Role
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Farah Nayeri | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Following is an overview of some of Callas’s career highlights at La Scala. “Aida” (Verdi): April 12, 1950Callas’s very first performance onstage at La Scala was as a substitute for the much-adored Renata Tebaldi, who was unwell. “I Vespri Siciliani” (Verdi):Dec. 7, 1951This was the first time that Callas was headlining a La Scala production — kicking off the opera house’s season, in fact — and it was a triumph. It also “encapsulated so much” of the Maria Callas that audiences have come to know and revere. Musically, she gave it her all, triggering 24 minutes of applause (according to the Edwards biography), a La Scala record.

Persons: Aida ”, Renata Tebaldi, “ Maria Callas, Anne Edwards, Franco Zeffirelli, Callas, ”, Maria Meneghini Callas, Franco Abbiati, David Bret, Abbiati, ” “ Lucia di Lammermoor ”, Donizetti, Herbert von Karajan, —, Lucia, — Callas, barehanded, Cynthia Jolly, “, Bret, Violetta, Donizetti’s “ Lucia di Lammermoor ”, Bellini’s “ Norma, Luchino Visconti, Fisher, Maria Callas, Carlo Maria Giulini, Giuseppe Di Stefano, “ Anna Bolena ”, Visconti, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, Edwards Organizations: La Scala, Scala, della, Opera, The Times Locations: “ La, Belle

☆ A New Production of a Verdi Opera Tightens Family Ties
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( David Belcher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Fathers and history loom large, both onstage and off, in the new La Scala staging of the Verdi opera “Simon Boccanegra,” running in Milan for seven performances from Feb. 1 to 24. For the director and conductor, it is an opportunity to embrace the opera professionally after a lifetime of personal connection. The director, Daniele Abbado, 66, is taking on his first “Simon Boccanegra” (he is also a designer, with Angelo Linzalata, in a production he describes as modern and abstract). Mr. Abbado attended the now-famous 1971 staging, which was conducted by his father, the prolific Claudio Abbado, who died in 2014. That staging helped make the opera a hit at La Scala — 90 years after its debut at the house.

Persons: Verdi, “ Simon Boccanegra, Daniele Abbado, Simon Boccanegra ”, Angelo Linzalata, Abbado, Claudio Abbado Organizations: Scala, Scala — Locations: Milan

☆ Greece opens Maria Callas museum for a glimpse into opera diva's life
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Renee Maltezou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A woman walks in the museum dedicated to the Greek-American opera diva Maria Callas, during a press preview on the eve of its official opening in Athens, Greece October 25, 2023. "Each item contributes in creating a comprehensive image of this astonishing woman," Kostis Bitzanis, the museum's project director told Reuters. "Maria Callas is one of the biggest brand names world-wide, she is a woman who became a legend," he said. Born Maria Anna Sophie Cecilia Kalogeropoulos in New York in December 1923 to Greek parents, Callas was credited with the almost single-handed revival of the Italian bel canto vocal technique. On the second floor of the museum, visitors can listen to parts of Callas' signature performances, including the aria "Casta Diva" from Bellini's opera "Norma”, and hear her teaching at the Julliard School in New York in 1971-1972.

Persons: Maria Callas, Louisa Gouliamaki, Verdi's, Callas, Manolo Blahnik, Maria Anna Sophie Cecilia Kalogeropoulos, Norma ”, Renee Maltezou, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Milan's La Scala, Maria Callas Greek Society, Reuters, Julliard, Thomson Locations: American, Athens, Greece, Milan's La, New York

☆ Italy's La Scala to open new season with Verdi classic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Sara Rossi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People watch a live broadcast of Modest Musorgskij's opera "Boris Godunov" on a giant screen at the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery during La Scala Opera House's gala season opener in Milan, Italy, December 7, 2022. The opening night of the La Scala season has become a highlight of the calendar for the country's business and political elite, coinciding with the city's Feast of St. Ambrose holiday. Verdi's works have been performed at La Scala since 1839 and the choice of a historical work by a local favourite is likely to prove less contentious on Dec. 7. La Scala last year mitigated the impact by cutting consumption of gas and electricity by 22% and around 15% respectively, its artistic director Dominque Meyer said on Monday. In its new season, La Scala will host 14 operas, seven ballets, as well as concerts featuring Italian conductor Riccardo Muti, Briton Daniel Harding and Russian-born Kirill Petrenko.

☆ Topless Italian climate protesters block Rome traffic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, May 4 (Reuters) - Topless climate activists on Thursday blocked traffic on a busy street in central Rome to protest over the Italian government's climate policy after torrential rains killed two people. The stunt marked a change of tactics by the Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) group after Rome's right-wing executive introduced stiff fines against protesters who target monuments and heritage sites. On Thursday, Last Generation released footage showing a small group of activists kneeling on zebra crossings in Rome and taking off their tops or - in one case - stripping naked. Activists blame the extreme weather on climate change due to fossil fuels. Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro; editing by Alvise Armellini, Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How an Architect Gave La Scala a 21st-Century Update
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Sam Lubell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over the past two decades, La Scala, completed by the architect Giuseppe Piermarini in 1778, has experienced its most profound changes since after World War II, when it suffered severe damage from Allied bombing raids. Mr. Botta’s first phase of work at La Scala was carried out from 2002 to 2004, and the second, begun in 2019, has just wrapped up. What is the scope of your work at La Scala? But to effectively make it work today, it needed to be much more flexible and capable than what existed in the 1700s. We’ve created a series of elements designed to make the theater function for the 2000s.

☆ Pretty Yende, South African opera star will perform at King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Gertrude Kitongo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —“Pretty, are you sitting down?” South African soprano Pretty Yende was performing in Vienna last December when she received a call from her manager. She had just been booked for the biggest gig of her life: a performance at the coronation of King Charles III. As one of three soloists at the ceremony, it’s thought that Yende is the first African to be invited to perform solo at a British coronation. The coronation will not be the first time King Charles has watched Yende perform; he saw the soprano sing at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s 75th anniversary gala, held at Windsor Castle in April 2022. Pretty Yende performs in "Lucia Di Lammermoor" at the Bastille Opera House in Paris in October 2016.

☆ Italy's La Scala goes live with opera and concert streaming service
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Italy's La Scala has launched a streaming service allowing viewers to watch its operas, concerts and ballets online, in an effort to widen its audience worldwide. The first concert will be broadcast live on "La Scala TV" on Saturday with three Mozart symphonies conducted by Daniel Barenboim, the renowned Milan-based opera house said in a statement. With a ticket price range between 2.9 euros and 11.9 euros ($3.1-$12.7), subscribers this year can choose between seven live opera performances, nine concerts and three ballets. The online service debuted on Tuesday with Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi opera' "The Sicilian Vespers", conducted by director Fabio Lusi. "The project is part of a broader effort to modernize the theatre ahead of the 2026 Olympics" that will take place in the Milan area, La Scala said.

☆ Italy theatre cancels show by Putin-tattooed Russian dancer
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Ballet dancer Sergei Polunin rehearses for the Project Polunin show at the Royal Opera House in London, Britain March 1, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall/File PhotoROME, Dec 30 (Reuters) - An Italian theatre on Friday called off a show by a prominent Russian dancer who has three tattoos of President Vladimir Putin on his chest and shoulders, reacting to online protests over the artist's scheduled appearance. The theatre said the cancellation was an act of "political and moral responsibility", given "a climate of tensions and threats". A spokeswoman said the theatre had been subjected to an email campaign as well as many negative messages online. Performances by Russian artists and Russian artworks have become controversial in the West, in the wake of Moscow's military campaign against Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24.

☆ Italian President Mattarella tests positive for COVID
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ROME, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Italian President Sergio Mattarella, 81, has tested positive for COVID-19 but has few symptoms beyond a slight fever, his office said in a statement on Saturday. Mattarella has cancelled his appointments for the coming days but will continue with his other duties in isolation from his apartment in the Quirinale Palace in Rome, the statement added. He made a high-profile appearance on Wednesday when he attended the opening night of the new season at La Scala opera house in Milan, along with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The president in Italy has largely ceremonial duties but is responsible for resolving political crises when they occur. Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Protests held as Italy's La Scala opens season with Russian opera
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Sara Rossi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Demonstrators holding Ukrainian flags and signs protest outside of La Scala opera house, ahead of its 2022-23 season opening night performance of "Boris Godunov," a Russian-composed opera performed by Russian artists, in Milan, Italy, December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Flavio Lo ScalzoMILAN, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Milan's La Scala theatre opened its 2022-2023 opera season on Wednesday with a gala performance of the Russian work "Boris Godunov" as protesters against the Ukrainian war demonstrated outside the venue. "We have nothing against the Russian people, against Russian history, against Russian culture," Meloni told reporters before the performance. She questioned why La Scala had not changed its programme over the nine months since the war began. Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov took the lead role as Godunov while Russian soprano Anna Denisova was Kseniya, his daughter.

☆ Anti-war protesters in Italy denounce La Scala for staging Russian opera
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Sara Rossi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Demonstrators holding Ukrainian flags and signs protest outside of La Scala opera house, ahead of its 2022-23 season opening night performance of "Boris Godunov," a Russian-composed opera performed by Russian artists, in Milan, Italy, December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Flavio Lo ScalzoMILAN, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Anti-war protesters demonstrated outside Milan's La Scala theatre on Wednesday before it opened its 2022-2023 opera season with a gala performance of the Russian work "Boris Godunov". Around 20 people waved the Ukrainian flag and held up placards denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine in February. She questioned why La Scala had not changed its programme over the nine months since the war began. La Scala artistic director Dominique Meyer last month defended its decision to stage the work, written by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in the 19th century, after protests from Ukrainian exile groups.

☆ Climate protesters hurl paint at Milan's La Scala opera house
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Climate-change activists in Italy on Wednesday threw paint at the entrance of Milan's famed La Scala opera house ahead of the opening performance of the season, local police said. Activists have staged high profile protests across Europe in recent months, sometimes targeting museums and art works in calling for tougher action to tackle global warming. Police said they had detained five people following the incident at La Scala, while cleaners swiftly removed the paint from the entrance of the theatre. La Scala will open its 2022-23 season on Wednesday, one of the highlights of the Italian cultural calendar, with a performance of the Russian opera "Boris Godunov" composed by Modest Mussorgsky. Reporting by Sara Rossi and Fabiano Franchitti; Writing by Gianluca Semeraro; Editing by Gavin Jones and Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy's La Scala defends its choice of Russian opera for season opening
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Milan's famous La Scala opera house has defended its decision to open its new season next month with "Boris Godunov" despite criticism from Ukrainians about staging a Russian work. La Scala artistic director, Dominque Meyer, told a news conference. "We do not do propaganda in favour of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and there is nothing against Ukraine," he added. The opening of a new season at La Scala is one of the highlights of Italy's cultural calendar. Immediately after the invasion of Ukraine in February, the Milan-based theatre said Russian conductor Valery Gergiev would not perform at La Scala after he failed to condemn the war.

☆ Ukrainians protest staging of Russian opera at Italy's La Scala
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Nov 10 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian diplomat has written to the head of Milan's La Scala opera house and to local political leaders to protest over plans to stage the Russian opera "Boris Godunov" next month. The event is one of the highlights of Italy's cultural calendar. Several associations representing Ukrainians living in Italy have also protested against the choice of Mussorgsky's classic work at this time. They have called for a different opera to be staged and for no Russian works to be put on until the war is over. There was no immediate comment from La Scala on Thursday.

☆ Eveniment de colectare a plasticului în Chișinău; Organizator: „Problemele ecologice se intensifică şi afectează planeta”
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-12 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +4 min

Grupul Tinerii pentru Eco Plastic („TEP”) organizează duminică, 13 iunie, un eveniment de mobilizare comunitară pentru colectarea plasticului la scală mică după modelul internațional „Precious Plastic”. „Tinerii pentru Eco Plastic este o inițiativă de reciclare a TEP ce a luat naștere în 2017 și de atunci continuă să lucreze pentru a crește gradul de conștientizare a oamenilor privind problema poluării cu plastic. Evenimentele de colectare a plasticului au devenit o tradiție, iar în această duminică, pe 13 iunie, va avea loc a XXV-a ediție. Potrivit Ecaterinei se vor recicla trei tipuri de plastic din șapte existente:„Plastic dur de Tipul 2, abreviat HDPE (uneori PE-HD). Deoarece acestea sunt cele mai inofensive tipuri de plastic și la încălzire nu emană gaze toxice”, a mai adăugat Ecaterina Țăruș.

Persons: Eco, Ecaterina Țăruș, Ștefan cel Mare, Ecaterina, Ecaterinei Organizations: Băncii Mondiale Locations: Chișinău, Republica Moldova, HD

☆ Oamenii de știință au creat un organism sintetic unicelular care se poate multiplica la fel ca unul biologic
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-30 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +3 min

Strychalski şi colegii ei doresc să construiască senzori vii care să poată realiza măsurători din mediul ambiant, monitorizând aciditatea, temperatura şi nivelurile de oxigen. Până să ajungă acolo, cercetătorii trebuie să descifreze misterele celulei la nivel fundamental, înainte de a încerca să le manipuleze în organismele obţinute sintetic. Prin crearea liniei celulare JCVI-syn3.0 cercetătorii au dorit să afle ce gene sunt absolut esenţiale pentru supravieţuirea şi funcţionarea minim-normală a unui organism unicelular, şi respectiv care dintre gene sunt de prisos. După ani de muncă, cercetătorii au obţinut linia celulară JCVI-syn3A, formată din celule ce conţin un total de 492 de gene. Şapte dintre aceste gene au o importanţă critică pentru un proces normal de diviziune celulară.

Persons: Elizabeth Strychalski Organizations: Agerpres, National Institute, NIST

Trofeul The Best, instituit de FIFA în 2016, a fost câştigat până acum de Cristiano Ronaldo, de două ori (2016, 2017), Luca Modric (2018) şi Lionel Messi (2019). Ceremonia de atribuire a premiului pe anul 2020 se va desfăşura virtual, pe 17 decembrie, din cauza pandemiei de coronavirus, a anunţat miercuri Federaţia internaţională de fotbal. Cei mai buni jucători şi antrenori ai lumii urmează să fie stabiliţi în urma voturilor căpitanilor şi selecţionerilor echipelor naţionale, a anchetei pe care FIFA o va realiza online în rândul suporterilor, precum şi a voturilor a peste 200 de reprezentaţi ai presei, care vor fi exprimate până la 9 decembrie. Anul trecut, argentinianul Lionel Messi (la masculin) şi americanca Megan Rapinoe (la feminin) şi-au primit trofeele în cadrul unei ceremonii care a avut loc la Scala din Milano. Premiile FIFA The Best vor avea anul acesta un iz de Balon de Aur, în condiţiile în care prestigiosul trofeu decernat de revista France Football a fost anulat anul acesta din cauza crizei generate de Covid-19.

Persons: Kevin, Bruyne, Sergio Ramos, brazilianul, Virgil, Dijk, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luca, Lionel Messi, Thibaut Courtois, brazilianul Alisson Becker, Manuel Neuer, Marc, Andre ter Stegen, Jan Oblak, americanca Megan Rapinoe Organizations: Manchester City, Bayern, Real Madrid, Best, FIFA, Liverpool, FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, France Football Locations: Liverpool, Alcantara, Bayern Munchen, Paris Saint - Germain, americanca, Milano

Orice decizie finală ar trebui să fie luată de “cei care ţin seringa”, a adăugat el. Primele vaccinuri dezvoltate împotriva maladiei COVID-19 ar putea fi autorizate cel mai devreme la începutul anului 2021, potrivit unor experţi. Un vaccin anti-COVID-19 a fost dezvoltat de compania germană BioNTech în colaborare cu un partener american, grupul Pfizer. Germania a raportat un număr total de 671.868 de cazuri de infectare cu noul coronavirus de la începutul pandemiei de COVID-19, potrivit Institutului Robert Koch pentru controlul bolilor. Bilanţul deceselor a crescut cu 63 de victime şi a ajuns la o cifră cumulată de 11.352 de victime.

Persons: Buyx, Thomas Mertens, Robert Koch Organizations: Uniunii Europene Locations: Berlin, Germania, american, Statele Unite

☆ FMI: „Bătrânii trăiesc prea mult şi este un risc pentru economia globală, trebuie făcut ceva”
▼ + stars: | 2018-11-26 | by ( ) telegraph.md time to read: +4 min

In ceea ce priveste economistii FMI, spaniolul José Viñals numeste „risc de longevitate”, scrie presa română. In termeni absoluti, costul prevazut va creste cu zeci de miliarde de dolari la scara globala. Christine Lagarde: „Batranii traiesc prea mult si este un risc pentru economia globala, trebuie facut ceva”In 1750, speranta de viata in tarile Europei Occidentale nu ajungea la 40 de ani. Dar ceea ce schimba calculele, conform FMI, este speranta de viata cand au implinit 60 de ani. Traind mai mult populatia, va trebui sa se plateasca mai multe pensii si prestari la siguranta sociala.

Persons: José Viñals, Capital . Christine Lagarde, Christine Lagarde Organizations: FMI, Capital Locations: Europei, Natiunile, SUA, Washington, Statele

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