The event fell a day before the 75th anniversary of a historic concert in 1946 that celebrated the post-war reopening of La Scala, which had been bombed three years earlier and rebuilt.
“I’m not sure if it’s a sign of rebirth, but it has to be,” said Italian Holocaust survivor and senator for life, Liliana Segre, who attended both concerts, 75 years apart.
The performance won a five-minute ovation and ended with an encore of Verdi’s Va, Pensiero.
With COVID-19 cases and deaths gradually decreasing, Italy has begun easing many of its restrictions and plans to reopen its borders to international tourists from mid-May.
Theatres and concert halls across the country were ordered closed last October to contain a second wave of infections following a partial return to normality over the summer months.
Coffee bars, restaurants, cinemas and theatres partially reopened in most regions on April 26.
Following its reopening, La Scala is expected to unveil its new season this month.
For now, only 500 spectators are admitted per performance – a quarter of La Scala’s normal capacity of 2000.
On Tuesday, director Riccardo Muti will conduct a concert with the Wiener Philharmoniker orchestra, while British conductor Daniel Harding is scheduled to take the stage on May 17.
Tickets for both performances are sold out.
