A modern Tosca for the Prima della Scala: Chailly and Livermore still together for Puccini

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"It closes a path made of important things – explained Pereira on the sidelines of Tosca's press conference -. We woke up the city, made the work project for the little ones that brought 380,000 children, increased the number of people who came to the theater ". The ticket office shows that it has increased from 28 to 35 million euros, with an increase in curtain rises. "We gave importance to the tradition of ballet. This theater – he underlined – has a great quality and has grown and for this I have to thank my collaborators and workers. In six years we have not had a strike and this is a sign of the agreement that there is". One thing he reproaches: "When La Scala goes abroad politics and entrepreneurs need to pay more attention. We have to make a team and – he said – I haven't heard him do enough". But "now it's time to close and reopen another book. Life is like that, I have a chance for five years in another theater" and so what's left are good wishes to his successor Dominique Meyer. "I hope he has all the success possible because I love the Scala – he concluded – and I hope he continues to be successful".

Tosca, presented according to the score of the world premiere of Rome as documented in the critical edition by Roger Parker for Ricordi, will present some significant differences with respect to the current edition and is one of the most awaited moments of the Puccini project with which Riccardo Chailly reports to Piermarini the works of the composer from Lucca in readings that take into account the most up-to-date research. Tosca was staged for the first time at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on January 14, 1900 under the direction of Leopoldo Mugnone. On March 17th, Arturo Toscanini directed the La Scala debut with the same protagonist, Hariclea Darclee. The Roman Tosca differs from the next (and definitive) in eight interventions for a total of a hundred or so lines. Overall, Tosca, notes Roger Parker, is the most stable of Puccini's works, the one that after a troubled gestation suffered minor changes.

On the podium there will be Riccardo Chailly, who made his debut at Piermarini in 1978 with Verdi's Masnadieri: in his 40 years of work in Verona he has directed works by Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini, Giordano, Musorgskij, Offenbach, Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Bartok. His commitment to the Milanese theater in the coming years will focus on the Italian repertoire according to a cultural project aimed at enhancing its richness and complexity, from Belcanto to Verismo. Davide Livermore oversaw the preparation of Handel's Tamerlano in September 2017, the Don Pasquale in April 2018 and the inauguration of the 2018/2019 season with Attila, both directed by Riccardo Chailly. The collaboration between director and director had begun on Puccini, with a production of La boheme in Valencia in 2012. The costumes were designed by Gianluca Falaschi.

At her fourth Scala inauguration (third with Riccardo Chailly), Anna Netrebko is now at home at Piermarini. Alla Scala debuted in 1998 with a concert by the Philharmonic directed by Valery Gergiev, the last time was Violetta in La traviata conducted by Nello Santi in 2017. She recently performed Tosca at the Metropolitan and in Monaco. Saioa Hernandez, who will support the January performances and return to Japan in September 2020, debuted at the Teatro alla Scala as Odabella in Attila last December 7th. Francesco Meli is third December 7 (second with Riccardo Chailly): the part of Cavaradossi is his first Puccini alla Scala. Second December 7th for Luca Salsi after Andrea Chenier with Riccardo Chailly in 2017.

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On 7 December 2016, the Madama Butterfly broadcast live on Rai 1 broke all audience records for Italian opera on Italian television with an average of 2,600,000 spectators corresponding to an average share of 13.48%. In 2017 and 2018 Andrea Chenier and Attila, certainly less popular titles, still stood at around 2,000,000 spectators and an average share of over 10%. Rai's decision to broadcast the Prima Scala live on the first network, with the production of RAI Cultura, is also confirmed for 2019, continuing a collaboration inaugurated by Paolo Grassi on 7 December 1976 for Verdi's Otello with the direction of Carlos Kleiber and directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Since then, Rai and the Teatro alla Scala have collaborated to make Italians learn more about the extraordinary heritage of melodrama. Like every year, Rai will also take care of live broadcasts at the San Vittore prison, in various Italian theaters and in cinemas around the world. The registration of 7 December will also be broadcast on television, on a date to be defined, by RSI in Switzerland, NHK in Japan, Il Media in the Republic of Korea and TV Kultura in Russia. As far as cinema broadcasting is concerned, the work will be broadcast live in Italy, Switzerland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland, Norway and Finland, and delayed in Australia and South America.

On the occasion of the Sant'Ambrogio 2019 the program of preparatory activities for the First Scala returns promoted by the Municipality of Milan and Edison – which, as announced today, becomes a founding member of Piermarini – together with the Teatro alla Scala. The program of the first diffusion includes over 50 preparatory events in addition to the live screening of the work in 38 venues including theaters, cinemas and cultural institutions of the city.