Riccardo Chailly exclusive: ‘This is the worst moment ever for La Scala’

The incoming principal conductor at La Scala Milan is one of the most candid men on the podium, honest with his situation and with himself.

We’ve had a wide-ranging conversation on film for sinfini.com about his life, his work and the massive challenge he faces. There is a short version (click here) about the problems at La Scala, which he describes as the worst in its history, adding, ‘I am not a masochist.’

In the full half-hour film we discuss his memories of Claudio Abbado, Herbert von Karajan, Franco Ferrara and others shaped him. Claudio’s motto was: ‘Keep the door always open.’

Chailly is one of the first to break down barriers between conductors and audience, to explore together new meanings in familiar works. ‘Machine-gun conducting in standard repertoire does not interest me at all,’ he says.

Watch.