As Milan’s La Scala wraps its Summer season, engaging with timeless classics remains a point of fascination. From threads of dramatic complexity to notes of blissful intensity, scores of excess and expression run apace.
MILAN, ITALY — It may seem odd that some of history’s most passionate debates centered on opera and choral music—art forms that are anything but rational. Yet the contradiction is only apparent.
The curious minds of the past, who took music and theatre seriously, argued endlessly over these subjects, pondering whether they would ever witness a synthesis of music and drama capable of satisfying both reason and the senses.
With its grand season nearing completion ahead of Italy’s summer break, Milan’s La Scala offered a handful of productions that shifted theatricality away from the extravagant conventions of flamboyant entertainment and toward something more flexible and modern. Or, perhaps more accurately, it achieved a kind of union—where words and music genuinely enhanced one another.
Missa Solemnis at La Scala
Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis was one such example. Sublimely expressive, the composer regarded it as the summation of his artistic practice—curiously so, considering the Ninth Symphony or the late string quartets are more frequently seen as such. Though conforming in form, the Missa transcends its time and resists traditional categorization. It is an immense, sweeping testament that remains contemporary enough to challenge both listeners and performers today.
Composed in 1823, it is also a relatively modern score in the hands of Fabio Luisi. One might have expected him to take it at a brisk, Renaissance-style tempo, but the performance—lasting around 80 minutes—was expressive and poised. The Kyrie began almost pianissimo, with overlapping vocal lines forming a hymn that grew in depth through repetition.
The only true surge of dynamics came with the Gloria, where trumpets and strings were propelled forward by timpani. Rather than smoothing the work’s edges or softening its rhythmic brusqueness, Luisi remained faithful to its pacing. The result wasn’t always entirely convincing—the final section of the Credo felt appended, like an ornamental flourish tacked onto the movement. Yet the performance was suffused with solemn, profound beauty, aided by the purity of the period instruments.
Bellini’s Norma at La Scala
Bellini’s Norma—a tragedy of love, betrayal, and redemption—unfolds the tale of a Druid priestess who betrays her people and her gods, only to be betrayed in turn by her Roman lover. Frequently cited as one of the most demanding works in the operatic canon, its sheer length and religious overtones make it a daunting undertaking.
Often considered the pinnacle of the bel canto period, when vocal virtuosity reached expressive and dramatic heights, Norma returned to La Scala nearly five decades after Maria Callas’ fond farewell.
Bellini’s Norma at La Scala
It takes extraordinary skill to meet the expectations that shadow such a legacy and deliver expressive brilliance. Marina Rebeka’s portrayal in “Casta Diva” was at times beautiful and sensitive, though her tone occasionally lacked luster, and her coloratura drifted into oversimplification. At critical moments in the aria, she sounded fatigued and gluey, struggling to sustain the top notes as written. By contrast, Adalgisa maintained both musical and dramatic authority, conquering the duets with finesse.
In ballet, Swan Lake—in Rudolf Nureyev’s choreography—returns to La Scala this July, unfurling across the theatre’s grand spaces. Two years after its last run, three alternating casts feature returning stars, key debuts, and new partnerships.
At the premiere, the dancers conveyed both stylistic unity and expressive depth. Nureyev staged his first Swan Lake at the Vienna State Opera in 1964, but the definitive production debuted twenty years later, entering La Scala’s repertoire in 1990. Remarkably, when it premiered at La Scala, Nureyev himself took the stage, performing the complex, mirrored role of the male protagonist. But it was for Prince Siegfried that Nureyev choreographed the most demanding variations, placing him at the center of the narrative’s emotional threads.
Nureyev’s Swan Lake at La Scala
Nureyev’s Swan Lake at La Scala
In Nureyev’s interpretation, Siegfried is not a hero, but a melancholic, introspective soul—more contemplative than commanding. The production’s minimalist setting, graceful musicality, and refined lyricism ground it in classicism, yet the corps de ballet executed it with a distinctly modern sensibility.
“I’m extremely happy to return to dance Swan Lake in Nureyev’s version as the final title before the summer break of a season that has brought me so much satisfaction and so many new challenges,” said Nicoletta Manni, Étoile at La Scala. Her performance and characterisation were exquisitely detailed.
“I’m returning to dance the role of Odette/Odile, which in 2013—shortly after joining the Company—was the first étoile role I performed at La Scala. I still cherish wonderful memories of it. The duality of the character makes her incredibly compelling, allowing me to embody Odette’s vulnerability and Odile’s dominance. It remains one of the roles I perform with the greatest passion and joy.”
Nureyev’s Swan Lake at La Scala
Although the staging was stripped back, there were standout performances, featuring extended arabesques, elegant grand battements, and the unified, flowing arms of La Scala’s swans. Manni and Principal Dancer Timofej Andrijashenko (as Siegfried) brought exceptional poise and romantic nuance to their phrasing. The climactic fouetté sequence in Act II was, frankly, spectacular—deserving a full review in its own right.
by Chidozie Obasi