La donna del lago to Naples in early June with no projects in the offing, except to become involved with overseeing a new production of his "La gazza ladra" there. Also, a commission from Milan's La Scala for an opera, which would become "Bianca e Falliero", had been offered and was planned for December of that year. Suddenly, the Italian composer Gaspare Spontini withdrew from a commitment to write two operas for the Naples house that season, thus leaving a huge gap. Rossini was quickly asked to write an opera for a September premiere; rather than use an existing libretto, the house insisted upon
La Scala (album) La Scala (album) La Scala is a live solo piano album by American pianist Keith Jarrett which was released on the ECM label in 1997. It was recorded in concert on February 13, 1995 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars, stating, "The music overall develops slowly but always holds one's interest, reinforcing one's viewpoint of Keith Jarrett as one of the top pianists of the 1980s and '90s.". Probably not without a sense of irony to the setting of this recording, Part 1 climaxes into a sheer