Word: milan
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Conductor Leonard Bernstein was in a swivet. Traveling in Italy, he had agreed to conduct a regular performance of Milan's proud La Scala opera, a thing which no American had ever done before. He had five days in which to learn the score-Luigi Cherubini's Medea-but he had never conducted grand opera in his life and never even heard of Cherubini's Medea. To make things worse, he had a case of bronchitis. Finally, the score with which he had to work dated from 1797, and, like most old books, it gave off dust...
...half a dozen curtain calls for leading Soprano Maria Callas and Bernstein, leaned into the orchestra pit to compliment the musicians, and filed out into the plush lobby gesticulating to each other like conductors. The" critics chimed in. Bernstein, wrote top Critic Giulio Confalonieri, is "absolutely predestined to music." Milan's eminent Corriere della Sera called him "indisputably brilliant." One of few sour notes came from an elderly admirer: "He's an American...
Attacking the British. All Italy was enraged. Violence sputtered in Rome, Milan, Genoa, Naples, Bari, Messina. In Rome, U.S. Ambassador Clare Boothe Luce, returning from a call on Premier Pella, found Via Veneto, the broad street in front of the embassy, blocked by demonstrators, so that her car could not get through. Unhesitatingly, she stepped out of the car into the midst of the demonstrators and walked coolly through the crowd to the embassy. Then she offered to talk to any qualified representative of the demonstrators, but the crowd dispersed without anyone taking up the offer...
Originally, the three were five, all Czechs: two brothers, Ctirad and Josef Masin, in their early 20s; a friend, Milan Baumer, 22, a military cadet; Zbynek Janata, 30, a factory executive; and Vaclav Svejda, 30, a disappropriated landowner. Armed with one revolver of about .35 caliber, two smaller automatics and 52 cartridges-arms hidden since World War II-the group formed up in Prague. Early in October they crossed the Czech-East German frontier at night. They were almost due south of Berlin and some 130 air miles away...
Buttons & Bows. Toscanini has a special fondness for his old house in Milan, and spent the early part of his summer there. He had it decorated to his taste around 1908, a Victorian era hodgepodge of heavy furniture and silk brocade walls and draperies, has refused to have it redecorated since. The only change he permits is the rehanging of his numerous paintings, and he insists on directing this himself, scrambling up stepladders with hammer and hooks in hand to fix the settings, while servants hold the heavy frames and family members hold their breaths, worrying about a fall...