La donna del lago the première on 24 September 1819 was not a success, there followed many performances throughout major European venues (as well as being presented in Cuba and by major South American houses) until about 1860, after which the opera disappeared until 1958. In modern times, performances have been given fairly frequently. The period between "La gazza ladra" (1817) and "Semiramide" (1823) was marked by the production of twelve operas of little significance, with the exception of "La donna del lago". After being obliged to leave Pesaro hurriedly in May 1819 (it turned out to be his last visit there), Rossini returned
La Scala citing "hostility" from staff members. In May 2005, Stéphane Lissner, formerly head of the Aix-en-Provence Festival, was appointed General Manager and Artistic Director of La Scala, becoming the first non-Italian in its history to hold the office. On 15 May 2006, Daniel Barenboim was named "Maestro Scaligero", or "de facto" principal guest conductor, of the company. In October 2011, Barenboim was appointed the next music director of La Scala, effective December 2011, with an initial contract of 5 years. In December 2013, management named Riccardo Chailly the next music director of La Scala, effective 1 January 2015. Stéphane Lissner left