Status: 08.12.2023, 15:52 PM
By: Markus Thiel
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Anna Netrebko as Elisabetta and Michele Pertusi as Filippo II in Lluís Pasqual's production. © Brescia e Amisaro
Italy has no problems with Anna Netrebko. For the opening of La Scala with "Don Carlo" she puts in a lot of effort and not always in a way that is easy on her voice. There are no protests against them inside, but against the director and conductor.
The diva in a red robe who seems to be walking through a bombed-out Ukrainian city. On the other poster, the face of Anna Netrebko, next to it a "No". This is upheld by two or three demonstrators. And that's it for the Milan protest, which also fades away because it has to take place more than 100 meters away from La Scala. In between: barriers, a phalanx of policemen, plus high-heeled clunker ladies and their tuxedo galanes, who rummage for their cards at the culverts. At the portal of the opera house, the muffled drumming of the trade union crowd with its CUB flags can only be heard from afar, as well as the shouts of the pro-Palestinians ("Stop Genocide Gaza").
A good 100 meters from La Scala there is a small demonstration against the diva. © Piero Cruciatti
Season opening at La Scala has always been a state of emergency with a demo guarantee. But the house, whose artistic output can hardly keep up with its worldwide reputation, has armored itself. From noon, the city is full, glowing under a cloudless sky in the cold winter sun. It's a public holiday, but bars, restaurants and boutiques are open. Passers-by strolling through the Centro Storico on the day of the city's patron saint, Ambrose, have to take long detours because of the barriers. For motorists who want to take the direct route, the police have only a shrug of the shoulders: "Scusi, la Prima della Scala."
"Don Carlo" for the glamorous start of the season, that has happened many times. La Scala lists 1868, 1878, 1912, 1926, 1968, 1977, 1992 and 2008. December 7, 2023, almost exactly 100 years after the birth of Maria Callas, will once again become a diva vehicle. While Anna Netrebko remains persona non grata at the Bavarian State Opera, for example, she has long since been allowed on stage elsewhere. In Vienna, for example, also in the Arena di Verona. For her Elisabetta at La Scala, she has to do without her husband. Yusif Eyvazov, his hair freshly blackened, sits in the stalls, row O. Two days later, he has the "Turandot" premiere in Naples – so you remain a well-paid double earner.
Unadulterated triumph: Anna Netrebko during the final applause. © Brescia e Amisaro
As always at the Scala inauguration, the displays of the Telefoninos will also light up during the performance. Maybe it's because you have to keep checking back on the current year. Yes, it's actually 2023, although the stage claims 1963. The scenic arrangement by director Lluís Pasqual, Daniel Bianco (stage) and Franca Squarciapino (costumes) is a fall into sepia. In the middle, a tall cylinder that can open, close and rotate. The (fabulous) choir freezes into an oratorio, the solo staff is content with ancient poses. In the auto-da-fé, a golden iconostasis is displayed, in the windows of which Elisabetta, King Filippo II and the Grand Inquisitor as the Holy Trinity. Three heretics, their muscles painted with blood paint, are pushed into the lower stage. Much of it is unintentionally funny – and even provokes the Scala orthodox to boos.
Where there is no direction, the stars have to make do with vocal gestures. Netrebko seems determined to do anything here. Her Elisabetta sounds like Lady Macbeth. Not a plaything queen, but an energetic one. At the same time, she also dares a lot of pressure and steam, unprotected, open sounds and breaks (Callas sends his regards). And then, in the fine, high flute register, they send their magic tones into the wide circle. A wide spectrum is measured, which is as risky as it is exciting. Elina Garanča is much more controlled, dosed than the best Eboli at the moment. This applies to the filigree decorations, the play of colours, but also to the aplomb in "O don fatale": this is drama without drasticism, a feast for vocal technicians and voice sippers alike.
Important politicians have cancelled for the premiere
Francesco Meli, who becomes more flexible in the course of the evening as the courageous, tonally stiff Don Carlo, has a hard time with this. Instead, Luca Salsi gives a good old-school posa with openly played pathos. Michele Pertusi, whose voice is turning gray as Filippo, allows himself to be excused as indisposed before the great monologue. No one knows why Riccardo Chailly gets a few boos. The boss conducts a Verdi with a great variety of expression. Swift in the basic pulse, sinewy and powerful, without becoming gaudy. Lyricism is tastefully formulated, and sometimes, as in the Posa-Filippo duet, black holes yawn in the score.
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With difficulty, the second round of the solo curtains is brought across the stage. Netrebko enjoys the cheers, baritone Luca Salsi milks him with outstretched arms, and after 13 minutes the applause is over. The Gala congregation aspires to the banquets. Rocker and multi-artist Patti Smith is among them, as well as cinema director Pedro Almodóvar and actor Louis Garrel. The Iranian tenor Ramtin Ghazavi uses his T-shirt to campaign for women's rights in his homeland ("Woman Life Freedom").
President Sergio Mattarella had canceled, as did Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, allegedly for scheduling reasons - or was it because of Netrebko? Instead, the right-wing extremist Senate President Ignazio la Russa now sits in the middle box and, almost next to him, the warmly applauded Liliana Segre, a 93-year-old concentration camp survivor and senator for life. Italian political reality – or dialectical humour.
Recording from 16 December in the Arte media library.
