Three Rare Operas Open Italian Seasons: Puccini, Rossini, Wagner
The 2016 opera season in Italy opened with three rare productions. At Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the original 1904 version of Puccini's Madama Butterfly was staged, directed by Alvis Hermanis with Riccardo Chailly conducting. The production addressed racism and child prostitution themes through a European lens of Japonism. At Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Rossini's Otello premiered on November 30, marking the bicentenary of its first performance. Director Amos Gitai's staging, which included references to the Middle East conflict, received some boos. At Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Wagner's Tristan und Isolde opened on November 27, a co-production with Paris and Amsterdam. Daniele Gatti conducted, with Pierre Audi directing. The five-and-a-half-hour performance featured Andreas Schager as Tristan and Rachell Nicholls as Isolde.
Key facts
- Madama Butterfly opened the season at Teatro alla Scala in Milan on Sant'Ambrogio evening.
- The production used the original 1904 version of Puccini's opera, which was initially rejected.
- Alvis Hermanis directed Madama Butterfly; Riccardo Chailly conducted.
- Rossini's Otello premiered at Teatro San Carlo in Naples on November 30, 2016.
- Amos Gitai directed Otello, with Dante Ferretti designing Renaissance-style sets.
- Tristan und Isolde opened at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma on November 27, 2016.
- The production was co-produced with Théâtre des Champs Elysées and De Nationale Opera Amsterdam.
- Andreas Schager played Tristan; Rachell Nicholls played Isolde.
Entities
Artists
- Giacomo Puccini
- Alvis Hermanis
- Riccardo Chailly
- Leila Fteita
- Kristine Jurjäne
- Gleb Filshtinki
- Alla Sigalova
- Ineta Sipunova
- David Belasco
- Giuseppe Giacosa
- Luigi Illica
- Maria Josè Siri
- Carlos Álvarez
- Bryan Hymel
- Annalisa Stroppa
- Gioacchino Rossini
- William Shakespeare
- Jean François Ducis
- Amos Gitai
- Dante Ferretti
- Gabriele Ferro
- Nino Machaidze
- John Osborn
- Dmitry Korchak
- Juan Francisco Gatell
- Richard Wagner
- Daniele Gatti
- Pierre Audi
- Willems Bruls
- Christof Herter
- Jean Kalman
- Anna Bertsch
- Andreas Schager
- Rachell Nicholls
- Brett Polegato
- John Relyas
- Michelle Breedt
- Giuseppe Pennisi
Institutions
- Teatro alla Scala
- Teatro San Carlo
- Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
- Théâtre des Champs Elysées
- De Nationale Opera Amsterdam
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Naples
- Rome
- Paris
- France
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands