David Coleman will conduct some of the musical highlights from the three Tchaikovsky’s ballets, all of which are held in high esteem in the hearts and minds of ballet fans. Swan Lake, in Vladimir Bourmeister’s version, entered the Scala repertoire in 2004 with new sets and costumes designed by Roberta Guidi di Bagno; Sleeping Beauty, with costumes by Franca Squarciapino and  choreography by Marius Petitpa; The Nutcracker, another familiar title for La Scala, this time in Patrice Bart’s version, with costumes by Luisa Spinatelli.

Jewels of music and dance all set in the Act III décor of Swan Lake: Prince Siegfried’s birthday festivities are being held in the castle hall, a veritable tourbillon of dances, from Czardas to Spanish, Neapolitan to Mazurka all of which leads into the celebrated “Black Swan” pas de deux, starring Roberto Bolle and Polina Semionova. As if by magic, another homage to Tchaikovsky appears: Aurora and her four princes in the immortal “Rose Adagio”, encompassing both dreamy sweetness and technical strength, being one of the most difficult choreographic passages of Sleeping Beauty alongside the “Blue Bird” pas de deux and the Act II pas de deux from The Nutcracker performed here by Nadja Saidakova and Ronald Savkovic.

The Teatro alla Scala and its Ballet Company will offer their public an elegant evening of great ballets and great music, dancing all the while towards the New Year. In fact at the end of the performance, accompanied by the Italian sparkle and style of Bellavista Franciacorta, official partner and supplier to Teatro alla Scala, the entire theatre will toast together the arrival of the New Year.

The Theatre’s General Manager and Artistic Director Stéphane Lissner will accompany the artists on stage and along with the whole Theatre, will dedicate this special toast both to those present and to ballet lovers all over Europe:  the Gala will be recorded by Bel Air  Media (producer François Duplat) and broadcast live by ARTE on Arte TV channels in France and Germany and in Italy on Classica Italia.