Don Quixote - La Scala Milan

[Don Q Fan]

I was very lucky to see Don Quixote last week at La Scala in Milan.  It was a really lovely show.  The choreography is Nureyev with some tweaking I think by Laurent Hilaire.  It was certainly slightly different to the Nureyev danced by POB and Vienna SB , I think.  Naturally all the dancers were new to me, but I was very impressed with the company.  The corps de ballet were excellent and were very together and their timing was spot on.  Kitri was danced by Vittoria Valerio and Basilio by Angelo Greco.  Both were really suited to the roles and gave their all.  Greco can jump really high and did some really great cabrioles.   They were a very joyful couple indeed.  In the beautiful Dream Scene we were treated to Daniele Cavaleri as Amore/Cupid (who wore a tutu rather than Romanesque toga) and the only principal in the show Nicoletta Manni was the Queen of the Dryads.  Manni whipped off some perfect Italian fouettes no hint of a wobble at all fantastic stuff!  I liked the Dream Scene very much as it was not overcrowded with too many ballerinas as can sometimes happen in DonQ.

Espada's role seems a little shortened in this version compared to the Bolshoi and Royal ballet Don Qs, especially in Act 3 - he just gets a fandango  - Jacopo Tissi danced Espada he is very tall and handsome and perfect for the role.  In the fandango he was partnered with Maria Celeste Losa who was very nice too.

The Don and Sancho Panza were played by Giuseppe Conti and Andrea Piermattei respectively and Gamache was Marco Messina but he reminded me more of Alain in La Fille Mal Gardee because his costume was SO similar to Alain's!

There were lovely ensemble dances for the corps de ballet and the grand pdd was danced really well by Valerio and Greco.  I would definitely like to see this Don Q again.  After the show I went to the stage door and seeing as there was quite a crowd (including very excited students from the ballet school) I decided to stay - the dancers I met were all lovely and obliged fans with autographs and selfies for those that wanted.

 

Tip for La Scala - the local government subsidise around 20 opera and ballet performances a season this explained why tickets for the Don Q the day before I went were ridiculously cheap..top tickets were normally 150+Euros but this night were 63.25 there were loads online and I wish I had booked seeing as the show was so good!   From what I can gather these tickets go on sale with the run of a particular show BUT they are sold in person to the public and then after 24 hours any left go on sale online.  The system is known as "Scal Aperta" so look out for that if you go to Milan - there is a list of all the performances that will be subsided on the website.  E.g. Ratmansky Swan Lake is 14 July (but I can't make that one!). 

Also please note that there is huge thick safety bar in front of seats in the First and Second Galleries I had to look above/below and got a really painful back/neck from it.  Of the 3 rows of seats the 2nd is probably the least affected by the bar in the First Gallery

Edited April 5, 2016 by Don Q Fan

[Aruna S]

Thank you for that tip, Don Q Fan. I've been wishing I could go for Ratmansky's Swan Lake despite the constant presence of baying wolves at my door, and now maybe I can manage it.