Like every September 7th – Sant'Ambrogio – Milan hosts the premiere of the Teatro alla Scala season, this year with a performance of Dmitri Shostakovich's “A Lady Macbeth of the McEsnk District.”
The Italian national anthem was played before the opera. In the royal box were the President of the Constitutional Court, Giovanni Amoroso, Senator for Life, Liliana Segre, the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, and the President of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana. Regarding the government, only the Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, was present. "We'll get over it..." Governor Fontana commented on the absences.
Representatives from the worlds of business and finance were also few in attendance. Among them were Fedele Confalonieri, president of MFE-MediaForEurope, Milanese entrepreneur Diana Bracco, ABI president Antonio Patuelli, Confcommercio president Carlo Sangalli, financier Francesco Micheli, and Barbara Berlusconi, a member of the board of directors of La Scala.
Outside the theater, in a sealed-off area, protests were held, as is tradition. This year, the entertainment industry is demonstrating, with a demonstration organized by the CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour), along with CUB (Italian Union of Workers' Confederation) and pro-Palestine groups.
(Unioneonline)