Expo Astana: the Scala with Falstaff concludes the National Day
Milan, 5 Sep - The Scala rounds off the National Day of Italy at the Expo in Astana. 4 September sees the second night of Falstaff at the Opera House in Astana after Zubin Mehta, Damiano Michieletto, Ambrogio Maestri and the rest of the Opera's ensemble were met with a standing ovation and a 10 minute applause. The audience in Kazakhstan showed their appreciation not only for Zubin Mehta's conducting and Ambrogio Maestri, Carmen Giannattasio, Yvonne Naef, Rosa Feola, Annalisa Stroppa, Massimo Cavalletti and Francesco Demuro's interpretations but also Damiano Michieletto's production, already applauded at Salzburg and the Scala, which saw the events enacted at Verdi's House symbolically combining the Master's last two works. The tour, whose sole sponsor is Eni, includes four performances of Falstaff on the 1*, 4, 6 and 8 September and, on the 7 and 9 September, two performances of Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th Symphony in the main hall at Astana's Opera House, again conducted by Zubin Mehta. The traditional football tournament organized by the Scala was held on 3 September as part of the tour and was yet another opportunity to socialize with their hosts. The "Astana Cup" held at the National stadium, the Astana Arena, saw the involvement of teams from the Republic of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Sport (who won the event), the Astana Opera, the Scala Theater (which boasted the participation of the tenor Francesco Demuro), Eni, sole sponsor of the tournament and the Kazakh Samruk-Kazyna Fund. Spectators included the Republic of Kazakhstan's Minister for Culture Arystanbeck Mukhamediuly, the Opera's Director, Astana Galym Akhmedyarov, the General Director of the Scala Theater, Maria di Freda and Luca Vignati, Executive Vice President of Eni for Central Asia.