Anna Netrebko will open the 2011-2012 season at the Teatro alla Scala

Anna Netrebko had announced first in an interview published in 2008 in the french magazine Opera, that she would sing the role of Desdemona in Verdi's "Otello" conducted by Daniel Barenboim at the Teatro alla Scala in Milano. She even commented that they had not found yet the Otello for those performances.

Later on I met Anna Netrebko in Wien after the premiere of "Lucia di Lammermoor" on 14. March 2009. Walking on Kartnerstrasse after the performance, some italians asked her if she will go to La Scala. She said yes. When they asked her what she would sing there, I was expecting she would say "Otello", but to my surprise, she said that she would sing the title role of Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor". 

A few weeks later, I met Erwin Schrott in front of Anna Netreko's dressing room at the Royal Opera House after the performance of Donizetti's "I Capuleti e I Montecchi" on 11. April 2009. He also said that Anna would sing Lucia at la Scala.

Milano based blogger Opera Chic posted today that Scala GM Stephane Lissner had indicated last year in a newspaper interview that the rumor about Anna singing Lucia at La Scala was true.

But plans change and Opera Chic reports today that Anna Netrebko will open the 2011-2012 season at the Teatro alla Scala, Milano, singing the role of Donna Anna in Mozart's "Don Giovanni" with Erwin Schrott in the title role. The performance will be directed by Robert Carsen and conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

Anna Netrebko made her role debut as Donna Anna in Mozart's "Don Giovanni" at the Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg, on 18. May 2002.

On 27. July 2002, Anna Netrebko sang the role of Donna Anna at the premiere of "Don Giovanni" at the Salzburger Festspiele, with Thomas Hampson in the title role, Michael Schade as Don Ottavio, Melanie Diener as Donna Elvira, Nicola Ulivieri as Leporello, replacing Ildebrando D'Arcangelo who was ill for the premiere, Magdalena Kozena as Zerlina, Luca Pisaroni as Masetto, and Kurt Moll as Il Commendatore. Martin Kusej was the stage director and Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducted the Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor and Wiener Philharmoniker. It was a run of highly succesful outstanding performances, being the first huge success of Anna Netrebko at the Salzburger Festspiele.

Anna Netrebko sang again the same role in the same production of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" at the Salzburger Festspiele in 2003. Thomas Hampson was once again Don Giovanni, Christoph Strehl was Don Ottavio, Melanie Diener was once again Donna Elvira, Ildebrando d’Arcangelo was once again Leporello, Isabel Bayrakdarian was Zerlina, Luca Pisaroni was once again Masetto, and Kurt Moll was Il Commendatore. The conductor was also once again Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

Anna Netrebko made her role debut as Donna Anna at the Royal Opera House on 12. September 2003, with Gerald Finley as Don Giovanni, Ian Bostridge as Don Ottavio, Nuccia Focile as Donna Elvira, Erwin Schrott as Leporello, Rosemary Joshua as Zerlina, Darren Jeffery as Masetto, and Robert Lloyd as Il Commendatore. Francesca Zambello was the stage director and Antonio Pappano conducted the Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

Anna Netrebko made her role debut as Donna Anna at the Wiener Staatsoper on 6. February 2004, with Michael Volle making his role debut at the opera house as Don Giovanni, Rainer Trost as Don Ottavio, Soile Isokoski as Donna Elvira, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo as Leporello, Sophie Koch as Zerlina, In-Sung Sim as Masetto, and Mikhail Kazakov making his opera house debut as Komtur. Roberto de Simone was the stage director and Seiji Ozawa conducted the Chor und Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper.

The fisrt time that Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott were together on stage as Donna Anna and Don Giovanni, respectively, was in a Met tour to Japan at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center of Kobe on 11. Jun 2006. Matthew Polenzani was Don Ottavio, Melanie Diener was Donna Elvira, René Pape was Leporello, Magdalena Kozena was Zerlina, Jonathan Lemalu was Masetto, and Sergei Koptchak was Il Commendatore. Marthe Keller was the stage director and Andrew Davis conducted the Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera House.

Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott were together again on the stage as Donna Anna and Don Giovanni, respectively, at the Royal Opera House on 15. June 2007. Michael Schade was Don Ottavio, Ana María Martínez was Donna Elvira, Kyle Ketelsen was Leporello, Sarah Fox was Zerlina, Matthew Rose was Masetto and Reinhard Hagen was Il Commendatore. Francesca Zambello was the stage director and Ivor Bolton conducted the Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

Anna Netrebko sang again the role of Donna Anna twice at the Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg on 8. July 2007 and 30. November 2007.

On 8. July 2007, Yevgeny Ulanov was Don Giovanni, Dmitri Voropaev was Don Ottavio, Tatiana Pavlovskaya was Donna Elvira, Ilya Bannik was Leporello, Irina Mataeva was Zerlina, Vadim Kravets was Masetto, and Gennady Bezzubenkov was Il Commendatore. Johannes Schaaf was the stage director and Valery Gergiev conducted the Chorus and Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater.

On 30. November 2007, Ildar Abdrazakov made his role debut as Don Giovanni at the Mariinsky Theater, Daniil Shtoda was Don Ottavio, Tatiana Pavlovskaya was Donna Elvira, Nikolai Kamensky was Leporello, Yekaterina Solovieva was Zerlina, Yuri Vorobiev was Masetto, and Fyodor Kuznetsov was Il Commendatore. Johannes Schaaf was the stage director and Tugan Sokhiev conducted the Chorus and Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater.

Update -- Erwin Schrott said in an interview that it was not true that he is going to sing the title role of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" at la Scala di Milano with Anna. On the other hand, the company Live dabei Tours is already announcing that Anna will sing the title role of Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" in December 2011 at la Scala di Milano. Theerefore, we believe that our initial information (see above) was right and we expect that Anna Netrebko will sing the title role of of Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" in December 2011 at the opening of the season of the Teatro alla Scala di Milano.