La Scala meets the ticket scalpers

Scalpers are having a field day for the first foreign company to appear at the renovated Bolshoi Theatre. The La Scala opera company are giving a one-off performance this Saturday of Verdi’s Requiem.

­The face value of the most expensive seats are $400, but touts are offering them for a jaw-dropping $4000.

The Requiem is one of the most frequently performed choral works. It was first performed by members of the La Scala company in 1874 to mark the first anniversary of the death of Italian author Alessandro Manzoni.

When the La Scala company first came to Moscow in 1964, they performed the same work at the Bolshoi.

The new performance would be conducted by Daniel Barenboim. The international singers’ cast is a treat for opera-lovers, starring two Russians – soloists of the Mariinsky Theatre: bass Mikhail Petrenko and mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova.

The opera company’s visit is part of the current Russia-Italy year of culture. As part of that the La Scala ballet will be performing on the Bolshoi stage next month – and it promises to be another chance for the ticket touts to make a killing.

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