Alexander Pereira
Photo: Suzanne Schwiertz
Alexander Pereira, the superintendent of La Scala in Milan, saw his proposal for the theatre’s 2016-2017 season adopted, with not everybody agreeing though. During the vote, there was one abstention and, more important, one rejection. Indeed, the Lombardy Region, one of the founding members of the Scala Foundation, voted against the program. The Regional Minister for Culture, Cristina Cappellini, said that Lombardia objected to too many expensive productions being bought from other opera houses, namely Zurich and Bordeaux. The Board of Directors also expressed its concern over the number of 15 productions being offered during the upcoming season. Last year, for the Milan Expo, La Scala increased the number in its season to allow for the anticipated increase in the number of visitors to the city, extending its programming throughout the summer when the theatre is traditionally closed. Now, Pereira wants to continue with the same number of productions, and members of the Board fear that the audience will not follow.
The atmosphere at the meeting was described as “tense”. The full season will be presented to the press on 18 May.
