All the opera videos and LD from La Scala performances avaible in commerce ar the result of a operation like in cinema movies.They tape all the performances and rehersals. Than they put togheter the best pieces. The same in America and everywhere. I' ve for istance the live performance of La Forza del Destino (Giacomini- Price) broadcasted at television and the one sold by Decca. A great difference. So you must never judge an opera or people in the theatre from a commercial video. There is a video of Ernani from La Scala with Domingo and Freni. We booed and whistled Freni and Bruson almost every performance (I can testimony it with tapes!) but on the video you just realize is a great success for everybody. The same recently with Attila with Ramey and Studer, Muti conductor. Studer was booed and in fact she sung with wrong notes. On the video everything is OK. But I don'y care. She said she won't sing again at the Scala. At a opening night Pavarotti sung wrongly at the Don Carlo with Muti and we booed and whistled. Try to find it on the Video. I remember Verrett being booed for her last Carmen, and Gavazzeni in Idomeneo. And many others. The public of La Scala is very critict and if somebody is not OK doesn't pass the evening. Of course there is people from rich milanese families, it's a tradition and plenty of turist that come inside just for a look.
Rememer our theatre and people is the one of Maria Callas and where Toscanini condicted before to live for America. May be abroad opera fan of Milano are unknown. Thank's Akira for giving me a good reason to replay! I can sure you we are good enough to recognize a good production and a bad one. I could write a book about that Traviata. The public of La Scala is divided for Riccardo Muti. Some like his performing, some not. I don't like the way he performs italian opera.
Anyway he is a great maestro and he belives in his performances (the critical editions of the most important operas). Very cultural, very important, but so boring. I sleep during his performances. In Mozart is sublime; in Wagner is thrilling. But in Verdi is impossible. Rossini is quite good. He cuts all the high notes not written from the composers. He tryes to play the opera as the author wrote it. I disagree this but I cannot boo him or whistle. I recognize he is very serious and he is making a serious and cultural operation. Almost all his enemies recognize how he is serious ans so also if we don't like this critical operation, we apreciate the maestro. Other opera houses have no idea of a cultural program. They just perform operas for people amusement. I think it is good anyway. But yust at La Scala and in few other opera houses you can see new productions of "Incoronazione di Poppea" - "Lodoiska" - "Vestale"- "Ifigenia in Aulide" and so on taken so seriously. He is very critical and study a lot the music with the orchestrals and university experts.
That's why we have a great rispect of maestro Muti and we had it also when he performed the Traviata. This Traviata was not made as a big event. Muti does not like mondanity When I spoke to him about his Rigoletto in the critical edition he said "I just cleaned this partiture from all the dust of the tradition". It was only another way of performing the opera, another way of reading it. Not an opening night and with all young singers. No great scenaries. I think that Sony made the great event just for selling the video and the cd. But everybody knew that this Traviata was not a thrilling night at La Scala. Was just an experiment. Commercial networks made it a great musical event. But that was not true. We all expected a Traviata with joung signers to sdramatize this opera in our theatre after the Callas tradition. Certantly not an international musical event. Muti alredy made his Traviata with Scotto and Kraus. The other problem was the choice of Fabbricini, She was recommended by an important italian man. We Know this very well. The year before she sung in a provincial singing competition in a church theatre and she arrived third! Other young italians singers could have sung that part better but La Scala choosed her. So everybody was disappointed.
Alagna a good young tenor. The choise was OK. But Fabbricini no. So I think she wolud have begun and end her career at the same night. Probably somebody informed the direction and the singer. Happened the worst event of this theatre. They dind't sell thickets for standing room and seats just for post. They wanted to check who was coming it all the four performances. So for the first time of La Scala, opera fans were out and the performances was just for the rich abonats (people who have a seat for every performance). Other places sold by post all to singer's friend. It was a scandal. But that's the reason that Traviata passed without a boo or a whistle for the soprano. Later we had our revenge with the Fabbricini's Lucia (if you wish next time I'll tell you what happened). Now this Traviata is snobbed by opera lovers. We leave it to the turist and rich people. I colud write more but I think this is enough. I hope you or other frinds of the list come to Milano and be my guest. P.S. Thanks to everybody of the list who wrote me forgiving my english. Ciao.
このPSPは、新規格UMD(ユニバーサルメディアディスク)というディスクを利用しており、そのサイズは直径6cmととても小さい(CDの半分程度)。 容量は1.8GBとなっている。 画面は4.5インチのTFT液晶で、480px x 272px(16:9)。MPEG4の再生やポリゴンも表示可能。外部端子として、USB2.0とメモリースティックコネクタが用意されているという。