For the first time since October 23, the Teatro alla Scala reopens its doors to the public, albeit with prudence and caution
.
The seats are limited (maximum 500 admissions), the spectators arranged in the 150 boxes and in the gallery, while the stalls remain hidden under the platform built to house the orchestra, respecting the distance between the musicians.
But, although cautious and prudent, La Scala remains one of the most famous theaters in the world and therefore opens with two extraordinary concerts destined to remain in history. The choir and orchestra of La Scala conducted by Riccardo Chailly welcomed back to the hall in an event that also wants to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the concert of the rebirth directed by Arturo Toscanini on 11 May 1946. And that's why the exhibition on the 11th it will be broadcast on Rai5 and streaming on RaiPlay. At La Scala, on the 11th, the Wiener Philharmoniker will perform with Riccardo Muti, in the last concert of their mini Italian tour. On the same day in the morning in the foyer of the theater the plaque dedicated to the mayor of the Liberation Antonio Greppi will be unveiled,who decided to start the reconstruction from culture and worked hard to revive the bombed Scala.
"La Scala has always played an important role in restarting" the superintendent of the theater
Dominique Meyer
recalled this on the day of the concert that reopens the theater to the public. This, he told Sky Tg24, is "a symbol of restart not only for La Scala, but for culture" and beyond. A series of restrictions still apply: the stalls are covered by a platform to ensure the distance between the orchestra professors, the audience is limited to 500 spectators, accommodated in the boxes and in the gallery, but "I hope that with the summer it will be possible to vaccinate all employees "and it will return to normal, he said.
"The culture sector has paid a high price" for the "necessary closures" to fight the pandemic. This is also why the Lombardy Welfare Councilor
Letizia Moratti wanted to be present at the reopening of La Scala
, of which she was president when she was mayor of Milan. A reopening "with a double value: for workers and sociality. A symbol of rebirth for our city".
There was at La Scala on 11 May 1946, at the concert for the reopening of the theater after the bombings and the reconstruction, and the
senator for life Liliana Segre
, a historic subscriber, wanted to be present at the reopening this evening for what "must be a sign of restart ". "I don't know if it is, but it must be - he said - a very strong signal for Milan".
"La Scala
sets a
good example. We hope it can lead to more": the mayor of Milan
Giuseppe Sala,
who is president of the most famous theater in the world, defines the reopening to the public after 199 days as "a good omen", indeed "a miracle" so he wanted to thank "the workers of the theater". The hope is to be at the end of the lockdowns because "opening and closing would be the worst" not only for La Scala but for all the workers in the sector who, Sala recalled, have less protection and more precariousness. Of course, the situation "is different from that of the post-war period. But the world of culture is suffering", he recalled, with the hope that in the future "more spectators can enter the theater".
