As medici.tv’s Chief Content Officer I spend a lot of time thinking about classical music—and a lot of time on the internet. Here’s my selection of the top five news items you need to see this week if you want to stay in the know.
La Scala bans tank tops, shorts, and flip flops (The Guardian)
A new sign at the entrance of the world’s most famous opera house urges spectators to “choose clothing in keeping with the decorum of the theatre,” and specifies that tank tops, shorts, and flip flops do not count. Apparently the rule has technically existed for a decade already but it has not been enforced or widely communicated, partly because La Scala’s former director Dominique Meyer advocated for a more inclusive, tolerant stance. Meyer’s tenure came to a close in February. A spokesperson for La Scala said “It is incorrect to tell people how to dress, but they do need to be dressed.”
A lost Stradivarius resurfaces after 75-year search, “hidden in plain sight” (The New York Times)
The New York Times published a fascinating feature on the “Mendelssohn” Stradivarius violin, a valuable instrument stolen amidst the chaos of World War II as its Jewish owners struggled to protect their valuables in Nazi Germany. 75 years later, the 316-year-old violin resurfaced when cultural property scholar Carla Shapreau spotted a privately-owned instrument with unmistakable similarities in a 2018 Tokyo exhibition catalogue. Numerous experts have since confirmed Shapreau’s hypothesis after analyzing photos of both instruments to compare the pattern of the wood grain, the indications of wear, the nicks and the dings… Now a more thorny question arises: who gets to keep it?
Extreme temperatures hit the opera stage (Operawire)
Operawire reported this week on multiple opera productions dealing with soaring temperatures. At the Arena di Verona, chorus members performing in Nabucco and Aida sought medical assistance as they suffered in elaborate, heavy costumes (upwards of 10kg) made of unbreathable fabrics. The opera house is currently working with a Milan-based company to evaluate the “thermal stress” on performers. On the other side of the Atlantic, a run of Mozart’s Don Giovanni: A Rock Opera, set to continue through the end of the summer, was cut short by an intense heatwave—producers are currently looking for another venue.
Peter Sellars opens up (The New York Times)
In this in-depth profile, director Peter Sellars reflects on four decades at the forefront of the opera industry and the importance of making space—for vulnerability, for progress, for daring—and pushing the boundaries. With new productions opening in three countries this summer, he also comments on the impact of ever-tightening budgets around the world: “Considering the state of arts funding and the withdrawal of government support, we have to live a little more intelligently with what the resources are… And hopefully you let that guide you to more radical choices.”
This now-iconic production of Purcell’s The Indian Queen is a great example of Sellars’ signature style: he rounds out the original libretto with a short story by Nicaraguan writer Rosario Aguilar, highlighting the human stories underpinning a harrowing colonial conflict.
Pope Leo XIV the pianist (Classic FM)
Pope Leo XIV is currently on a summer break and it seems quite likely that he may be spending some time at the piano bench, according to Classic FM, who have unearthed a (vintage) video of the recently-installed Pope performing a Schubert Impromptu. Earlier this year, amidst celebrations of Renaissance composer Palestrina’s 500th anniversary, the Pope spoke eloquently about music: “Polyphony,” he said, “is not merely a musical technique; it is a form imbued with theological meaning. It takes the sacred text and ‘clothes it with fitting melody’ so that it may better reach the understanding of the faithful.”
