FAllWay

Hello, I would love to see an Opera in Milan. I am looking at two options and since I don't know ANYTHING about operas, I would like some feedback and advices from someone who does.

According to the Teatro alla Scala calendar, there is "prima delle prime" and "Werther". Can anyone show me a video link of what I would be seeing? I saw one for Werther but I want to make sure I found the correct one. Is Prima delle prime not a show but some sort of discussion meeting? Also, since these are sung in a language I do not understand, where can I find some information on the stories of each so when I'm there, I can follow what's going on? I think this is for Werther http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werther

Lastly, how do people dress at the Operas? I want to wear a nice suit but no tie.

Additional question: I am looking at November shows. I tried to purchase the tickets and I wasn't able to. Do they not sell tickets in few months in advance?

bdemaria

The official La Scala site is available in English and Italian, here's a link to the English page explaining the Prima delle Prime - which is a talk, rather than an operatic performance. Its free, first come, first serve, no ticket req'd - but the speakers will like be speaking Italian.

Tickets will go on sale c. 6 weeks in advance, you can sign up an booking alert email at the website as well.

People dress in all different ways, the best seats on opening night will be occupied by a very chic, formally dressed (altho not black tie for men) clientele while the rafter seats (which are actually a place to stand, they aren't actually seats) will consist of college kids in jeans.

Perche

It is an excellent idea to read a synopsis of an opera beforehand. But you should also know that La Scala has an electronic libretto system. The seat in front of you has a little screen with the words being sung so that you can understand them. I think you can choose to have it in italian, english, and french (yes, even an italian native speaker generally can't understand an opera singer singing in italian.).

JMN57

Couple of things.

If you are in the orchestra, it is advised to dress reasonably well.

Look at the seat map to know where you are going to sit. If you are higher up, realize that the front row can see but the rows behind the front row can have little or no view - you'll hear the music but not see much of the performance. The top rows are very high and I've often joked that what one best sees from there is how well the hair stylists do their job. On the La Scala website, there is a seating plan and also a visualization from seats (http://www.teatroallascala.org/en/bo...galleries.html). The plan looks like a horseshoe but it is really a representation of a stack of rings.

FAllWay

Great informations. Thx. If i select the higher levels but front seats, would they have the screen with the words as well?

KLouis

Lat's be more pragmatic:

a) You can see well enough sitting in the "platea" (sat in row 12 three weeks ago).
b) "Choosing" a seat may be a challenge. Once you are allowed to buy the ticket you have to call within an hour or so, otherwise tickets often are bought by "agencies" that sell them to you for 20% more.
c) Werther is a very nice opera, but not necessarily one for beginners. I'd suggest, before spending 250+ Euros, get into Youtube and listen/watch a Werther performance (I won't suggest which one in order not to start a discussion on the quality of the artists involved).
d) Since you're not an expert you don't run a risk, it will be a very nice performance that you should enjoy. Only problem will be if you're tall, the seats will be (very) uncomfortable.

OK then, say hello to the Scala from me, I'm not planning to return this year, she'll have to wait a few months for me...

Giggleswick

Looking at the website, I see that Werther is "in concert execution," meaning that it will not be a fully staged and acted opera, but singers on stage with an orchestra. Also, in case you don't know, it's in French. So if you just want a first taste of the full-on, Italian grand opera tradition, this isn't it.

JMN57

Agree that one doesn't necessarily "choose" a seat at La Scala but I think setting some expectation of what the seat is and isn't can help refine how much one would spend and what one would get.

Having seen a number of operas and ballets at La Scala from different points of view, there is a lot of variance between sitting in the second row of orchestra and the top tier balcony first row (I've done both).

Ironically, those orchestra seats were free (arranged by a client and gifted to me) while the top row cost >$500 as a last minute purchase for an opera my wife and I wanted to see and arranged through the concierge at the hotel. While the $500 seats were expensive and not the greatest view, Juan Diego Florez and Joyce DiDonato performances made it worthwhile.

I would agree that Werther, while interesting, doesn't really check the box on classic Italian opera.

KLouis

Ι went to hear/see him and he was sick! Colin Lee is a fine tenor but every time he sung I felt like a child you took his favoured toy from.

Non-NonRev

What, no love for Massenet?

The November Werther performances at the Scala feature an excellent all-Francophone cast and a veteran conductor who could probably conduct the work in his sleep. It's a very emotive work (based on a novel by Goethe).

I tend to agree that a first operatic experience is ideally seeing a staged production, as to me, the "specialness" of opera is in the fusion of the music and the visual values.

And since we have some opera people here, a reminder that the new production of 'Don Giovanni' from the Salzburg Festival is being streamed live on Medici tomorrow at 19:30 CEST / 13:30 EDT:

http://www.medici.tv/#!/don-giovanni...-festival-2014

JMN57

If you like Florez, keep an eye (or ear) out for Javier Camarena. He subbed for an ill Florez in La Cenerentola at the Met in April and the response induced an encore (not been done many times before - last was Florez in La Fille du Regiment for nailing the C's - which we saw).

We saw Florez in La Cenerentola in the first performance back after being sick and he was good. He got an encore too but it was definitely a sympathetic audience. I can relate to your feelings of having a toy taken away - my wife and I were actually hoping for Camarena to be subbing at our performance. The usher who opens our box for us compared Camarena to a young Jose Carreras.

Camarena in dress rehersal for La Cenerentola
http://www.metopera.org/video/watch/.../3483491158001

Florez in La Fille
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aS6M8j3pvQ

And as reference - Florez's encore for La Cenerentola (which was better than the first time)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6CV6GEoJsQ

Non-NonRev

For KLouis - here's some of what you missed in that Comte Ory (obviously an in-house recording):

http://youtu.be/aN-qet7ew1Y?list=UUs...Do8LRF2mVZ99mQ

KLouis

THANKS! ^ I was there 6 days later and I found the "DP" scene amazingly funny. If you have a good director, the combination of stupendous music (you now know who one of my top 5 opera composers are), excellent humour and, hopefully, good singing makes any Rossini opera buffa top entertainment.

PS The other 4: Berlioz, Mascagni, Verdi, Rimsky-Korsakov, I know a very strange mix...

KLouis

Young, old... I saw Alfredo Kraus singing Nemorino when he was close to 70. Unforgettable.

But enough opera, I guess, we'll scare most FTers away

JMN57

Saw Leo Nucci @ Verona in Rigoletto last August. Amazing for in his 70's. Some people can just sing forever. Yes, probably past the FT opera quotient.