Barber of Seville director leaves La Scala production
AFP
ROME- Topping a season marred by opera worker strikes, the director of the Barber of Seville production at the La Scala theatre in Milan has left his post and been replaced, the theatre said on Monday.
"Because of the impossibility of maintaining a serene and constructive work relationship, Maestro Jean-Christophe Spinosi, in agreement with La Scala management, has decided to abandon the production," the opera house said in a statement.
Barber of Seville
The new director for the Barber of Seville will be Michele Mariotti, La Scala said, adding that the first performance of the show on July 9 had already been cancelled because of a strike.
Opera workers have been striking over a controversial cost-cutting reform passed by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
The reform is set to impose a hiring freeze, tougher criteria for public funding, a 50 percent cut in bonuses and changes in contracting.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------