Teatro alla Scala – Zandonai’s Francesco da Rimini. May 13, 2018.

Teatro alla Scala, Palcon II ord. Des. (Palchi Zone 2, Palco 13, Posto 5, 93.5 Euros).

Story.  Based on one of the encounters Dante had in Inferno, Francesca is tricked into marrying Giovanni, while she is actually in love with his brother Paolo.  The third brother Malatestino also loves Francesca.  So when he sees Paolo entering Francesca’s bedroom and stays the night, he informs Giovanni.  Giovanni tries to kill Paolo with a spear, but Francesca steps in front and is killed instead.

Conductor – Fabio Luisi;  Francesca – Maria Jose Siri, Paolo il bello – Marcelo Puente, Giovanni Io sciancato – Gabriele Viviani, Malastestino dall’Occhio – Luciano Ganci, Smaragdi (la schiava) – Idunnu Munch.

A major drive behind this trip is to see an opera in La Scala.  And I must say compared to our experience in Zurich, this was not nearly as positive.

Our seats were quite good, probably among the best in the house.  Evidently most balcony levels are occupied by boxes, with each box seating 6 people.  The boxes we were in had 4 seats at 110 euros, and one each at 93.5 and 60.5 euros.  When I booked the tickets, I saw that there were quite a few empty seats still, so I booked the first 2 and the last 2, hoping that the middle two seats wouldn’t be occupied: and the strategy worked.

Other than the top tier, all the balconies at La Scala are set up as boxes seating 5 or 6 people each.  View from our box is good for the occupiers of the first two seats, but only so-so for other seats in the box.

First the story, it is straightforward, but not the way it is told in the opera.  It didn’t help we didn’t know how to turn on the LED screens for the translations at first – I had to go ask an usher.  To complicate matters, the traditional-cum-modern design, with some liberty taken with the acting, added to my confusion.  For instance, there is this three-tier structure that is used to depict a catapult tower, and instead of catapults we have cannons.  At the end of the opera when Francesca dies, there is a spear that drops from the ceiling, and both she and Paolo lie dead on stage.  Fair enough, other than I worry the rope tying the spear may break and end up hurting someone.

One constant about the set is a statue of Francesca.  After Act I spears come out of the backstage, including her body, and they seem to lengthen in subsequent acts.  For the battle scene we have the aforementioned three-tier structure.  The prop for the scene where the lovers read from Shakespeare is a large book with pages that turn.  Also, at some point Francesca has in her hands a downed bi-plane, my guess would be to signify the disaster that is enfolding.  At the beginning there are a couple of scantily dressed ladies, perhaps to emphasize that in Dante’s book Francesca is condemned to hell for carnal pleasure.

The singing was generally okay.  It was weaker than what we heard in Zurich, but this is to be expected as La Scala is a much larger hall (2000 vs 1200 seats.)  To the extent I understood what was going on, the mood was consistent.  The only weak voice among the principals was Marcelo Puente as Paolo.  A few of the “minor” cast members did very well.  I hadn’t heard of any of the singers, evidently Jose-Siri is an up and comer in the opera world.  Fabio Luisi was the chief conductor of the Met for a few years, and we have heard him several times before.  I didn’t realize that he conducted with so much energy, and the orchestra seemed to respond well.

The "Catapult" scene with cannons.  Photo taken when singers came out for acknowledgement after Act 1.

Curtain call (video) at the conclusion of the performance.  Notice the spears coming out of the statue, and the plane held in her left hand.  Her right hand is holding a book.

I am writing this a couple of days later, and in a couple of hours I will be seeing Aida.  My hope is that the opera staple will help improve my general impression of this Opera house.