Helga Schmidt is ‘in line for Italian job’
mainOur gola profonda reports:
The sacked artistic director of the opera house in Valencia, Spain, could be up for a plum job in Italy.
A round of musical chairs is being staged in the next few days at Bologna, Cagliari, Napoli, Genova, Bari, Parma, and possibly Florence.
Parma, Verdi’s home town opera house, looks likely to be run by a pair of populist Beppe Grillo’s pals. Neither has opera experience.
Maurizio Roi is tipped to be confirmed in Genova and Nicola Sani in Bologna, both good calls.
Florence is contemplating Daniele Gatti as music/artistic director, with Zubin Mehta as lifetime honorary conductor. Mehta is best mates with Helga Schmidt.
Watch this space – if Helga misses out on Florence, she may get another house. At 73, she’s not done yet.
Will she make a start by correcting the gross errors in her official bio? I doubt it!
All the houses you name are almost broke, this is why they are changing their administrators, and some are likely to go bust in one year or two. Parma (so broke that they have two opera titles in six months) has appointed yesterday a new general manager.
Not one of these houses can afford to pay travel and lodging expenses to Helga, let alone have her sign the sort of contracts she has signed in Valencia.