Russian opera ‘Boris Godunov’ to open next La Scala season

Ildar Abdrazakov, who will star in the title role of La Scala's Boris Godunov (Photo: Anton Welt)

MILAN (AP) — Milan’s famed Teatro alla Scala has announced the celebration of next season’s gala premiere with the Russian opera Boris Godunov. It's a move that aims to separate politics from culture. La Scala’s 2022-23 calendar was set long before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It also marks the Milan opera house’s premiere of another Russian opera. General Manager Dominique Meyer said Monday that the choices were made two to three years ago in keeping with opera world’s practice of drafting calendars and booking stars years in advance. The move comes months after La Scala became one of the first opera houses to exclude Russian conductor Valery Gergiev after he failed to respond to their appeal to denounce the war.