On March 4, 2023, Irina Lungu breaks new ground as the first soprano in the history of the Teatro alla Scala to interpret both Musetta and Mimì in La bohème in the same season: She will first sing four performances as the coquettish flirt immediately followed by four other ones as the ill-fated consumptive seamstress through March 26, in the legendary Franco Zeffirelli production led by Eun Sun Kim. As Musetta she will share the stage with Marina Rebeka (Mimì), Freddie De Tommaso (Rodolfo), Luca Micheletti (Marcello), Jongmin Park (Colline), and Alessio Arduini (Schaunard), while Mariam Battistelli will take over the role of Musetta when Irina sings Mimì.

The Russian-born soprano has long been associated with both Musetta (the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden) and Mimì (Vienna State Opera, Teatro Regio Turin, Teatro San Carlo Naples, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Royal Opera House Muscat).

Irina Lungu, who made her La Scala debut as Anaï in Moïse et Pharaon in the 200/2004 season, has graced that mythical stage in numerous roles such as Violetta in La traviata (two different productions), Maria Stuarda, Sancta Susanna, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Oksana in Čerevički and Anaï in Moïse et Pharaon.

[Photo: Elena Sikorskaya]