Love at the Time of Revolution

The theatre is regarded as one of the leading opera and ballet theatres in the world and every years La Scala's season opens on 7 December with an international opening ceremony. This year the Opera House open with Andrea Chenier a verismo opera in four acts by Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed on 28 March 1896 at La Scala, Milan. The story is based loosely on the life of the French poet André Chénier (1762–1794), who was executed during the French Revolution with his love Maddalena.