Mauro Bigonzetti's choreographic opera 'Madina' premieres at La Scala

The opera 'Madina', composed by Fabio Vacchi with choreography by Mauro Bigonzetti, premiered at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, co-commissioned by the theater and Siae. Directed by Michele Gamba, the work is subtitled 'Teatro-Danza in tre quadri' but is clearly a choreographic opera. Based on Emmanuelle de Villepin's novel 'La ragazza che non voleva morire', the libretto (also by de Villepin) tells the true story of a Chechen girl who endures occupation, family destruction, rape by Russian occupiers, and pressure to become a suicide bomber in a Western city, but ultimately refuses. The production features two solo singers (soprano and tenor), a choir, and an actor. Bigonzetti's choreography is anticlassical, demanding intense interpretation with anti-individualist and violent movement. Roberto Bolle plays the guerrilla with aggressive indifference, while Antonella Albano portrays Madina as vulnerable and disheveled, and Gabriele Corrado embodies the father's ambiguity. Carlo Cerri's sets and lights, video designers Alessandro Grisendi and Marco Noviello, and Maurizio Millenotti's costumes contribute to the visual impact. The work transcends specific geopolitics to focus on women's bodies and universal violence.