Netrebko sings and dances: That was the season opener at Scala

The sopranos, considered the greatest vocalist of our time, sounded routine in the first two acts, a little tired in her voice and also not particularly accurate. Usually, Netrebko just has to open her mouth and cast a tune of her choice and she instantly manages to wow her audience. This was not the case this time. Recently, she canceled a few shows due to shoulder surgery, and when she returned to the stage, she was definitely not at her best.

After the break, she excelled in a ballet break (the much longer version of 1865 was played) as a dancer. She danced barefoot, carelessly, next to professionals for about three minutes, very observant, meticulous and well-designed. You’ve never seen anything like this in an opera theater either.

As if she had just woken up from the dance, she sang her crazy song charmingly, so intimate, so tender, and fragile. And that jump over a six-meter-high bridge, secured only by a rope.

In the end, there was a lot of applause for the conductor Ricardo Chile, who unleashed the creativity of the recordings and realized them in dark, striking colors and never outwardly focused on the beautiful sound.

Luca Salce is the voice Macbeth who plays the breaks and skeptics in this character well, Eldar Abderrazakov is a famous Banquo and Franceso Milli is a first-rate Macduff. All of them – in addition to the chorus – were loudly appreciated by the audience.

Unlike director David Livermore, who set the plot around a real estate mogul in the style of Donald Trump. His explanation shows how corrupting power is – even what is supposed to be good. The design of the Giò Forma Architects Group is excellent, constantly changing thanks to videos and large steel structures and offers amazing viewing experiences.

In Vienna, Mayer was accused of being too traditional. Obviously, this contemporary and successful interpretation was too recent for Milan. But what does the premiere say? Also with regard to Anna Netrebko.