An unbuttoned Mahler 3 at La Scala

By James Imam, 01 March 2018

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“invigoratingly primal, even explosive, but never out of control”

Reviewed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan on 25 February 2018

Mahler, Symphony no. 3 in D minor

Gerhild Romberger, Mezzo-soprano

Coro del Teatro alla Scala

Coro di voci bianche dell'Accademia Teatro alla Scala

Filarmonica della Scala

Riccardo Chailly, Conductor

Viotti brings Italianate sunshine to Russian repertoire in Milan

Mark Pullinger, 24th February

Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings and Rachmaninov's Second Symphony are given urgent, ardent readings by the Filarmonica della Scala.

****1

A high-energy season opener at Dvořák’s Prague

Frank Kuznik, 7th September

Andrés Orozco-Estrada and the Filarmonica della Scalla boldly go into the Romantic repertoire, with mixed results.

****1

Grafenegg Festival ends with bittersweet Strauss from Renée Fleming

Laurence Vittes, 5th September

The soprano is lifted to lyrical heights by the Filarmonia della Scala and Andrés Orozco-Estrada at the open air Wolkenturm on the final night of the festival.

*****

Magnificent Beethoven tribute from Chailly in Antwerp

Marc Haegeman, 23rd January

"Beethoven 250" starts in grand form with thrilling performances of Egmont and Symphonies 5 and 8 in Antwerp.

*****

Lightweight Beethoven from Chailly and the Filarmonica della Scala

James Imam, 4th November

This lightweight, combustive account lacked bluster, sourcing tension from its forward momentum.

****1

Gardner and Levit invigorate the Filarmonica della Scala

James Imam, 11th March

Edward Gardner clearly has a thing for the Czechs. A month after he made his Royal Opera main-stage debut with Janáček's Katya Kabanova, here he was with the Filarmonica della Scala to conduct a strongly Czech programme.

****1

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James Imam

James Imam is an arts journalist writing for publications including The Financial Times, The Times, Musical America and Opera magazine. He grew up in Manchester, read anthropology at Cambridge and has since lived in Milan. As a once-aspiring countertenor he has an abiding interest in Baroque music.

Chailly stuns La Scala with unbuttoned performance of Mahler's Third