Italy President gets 6 minutes of applause at La Scala premiere

Milan: Milan’s La Scala opera house opened to a full house on Tuesday night in the presence of Italian President Sergio Mattarella who received a standing ovation and about six minutes of applause, amid cheers of ‘bis’ (encore) urging the outgoing head of state to remain for a second term of office.

A visibly moved Mattarella, accompanied by his daughter Laura, was the guest of honour at the gala event which took place on the feast of S. Ambrogio, Milan’s patron saint.

After the lengthy applause for the president the orchestra performed a rousing rendition of the Italian national anthem.

The production, a Verdi opera based on the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth, is likely to be Mattarella’s last La Scala premiere as president as his mandate comes to an end in January and he seems determined to go despite much pressure to stay.

The hundreds of spectators, including many celebrities, public figures and high-ranking politicians, all wore masks at the famed opera house which was forced to close last year due to covid-19 regulations.

Among the special guests was fashion icon Giorgio Armani who oversaw the floral decorations in the theatre: more than 10,000 roses and 3,000 orchids adorned the central stage and the boxes.

With strict health protocols in place for both the public and performers, La Scala is permitted to open at full capacity to those who have been vaccinated or recovered from covid. Unvaccinated people are barred.

“When you see so many great theatres closed, like the Vienna State Opera, those in Munich, Dresden and Leipzig, I have to say we are lucky – said La Scala’s artistic director Dominique Meyer – “This year’s season opening is a sort of miracle.”

Macbeth, conducted by Riccardo Chailly and directed by Davide Livermore, received a 12-minute applause from the audience.

The new production, which runs until 29 December, features Italian baritone Luca Salsi as Macbeth and Russian soprano Anna Netrebko as Lady Macbeth, with Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov as Banquo and Italian tenor Francesco Meli as Macduff.