La Scala Opera House Organizes Closed Audience-free Concert

A worker walks as Italy's La Scala opera house reopens to the
public for the first time since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
outbreak, with new social distancing and hygiene rules, in Milan,
Italy, on June 21, 2020. (REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo)
A worker walks as Italy's La Scala opera house reopens to the public for the first time since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, with new social distancing and hygiene rules, in Milan, Italy, on June 21, 2020. (REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo)
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La Scala Opera House Organizes Closed Audience-free Concert

A worker walks as Italy's La Scala opera house reopens to the
public for the first time since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
outbreak, with new social distancing and hygiene rules, in Milan,
Italy, on June 21, 2020. (REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo)
A worker walks as Italy's La Scala opera house reopens to the public for the first time since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, with new social distancing and hygiene rules, in Milan, Italy, on June 21, 2020. (REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo)

La Scala opera house organized an exceptional event featuring stars including Placido Domingo, and Roberto Alagna on December 7, in its closed auditorium due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it would be broadcasted on TV.

Milan's famed La Scala opera house announced in a press conference the program of the evening "A riveder le stelle" (Seeing the stars again) which will be held despite the closure of theaters and the persisting health crisis.

According to AFP, the event is aimed at maintaining the Italian tradition of holding one of the biggest cultural events in the country on the Saint Ambrose's Day, on December 7, the annual date of the house's season-opener.

"Twenty four of the greatest operatic voices of today will gather on December 7 in Milan to express solidarity with this theater affected the most by the pandemic. The second wave of COVID-19 has led to the cancelation of all performances scheduled since September," the house said in a statement.

"La Scala and RAI state television in Italy will work together on this evening "full of hope and determination" to "deliver the values of opera and dancing to Italians in their houses through their favorite artists," the statement added, noting that the concert will also be broadcasted in Germany, France, and many countries on channel ARTE.

In addition to Alagna and Domingo, the event will feature singers Ildar Abdrazakov, Carlos Álvarez, Piotr Beczala, Benjamin Bernheim, Eleonora Buratto, Marianne Crebassa, Rosa Feola, Francesco Meli, Camilla Nylund, and many others.

Directed by Michele Gamba, the ballet segment will see the participation of star Roberto Bolle, along with dancers Martina Arduino, Claudio Coviello, Nicoletta Manni, and Virna Toppi.

The evening is also set to include segments from opera Giuseppe Verdi, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Puccini, Georges Bizet, Jules Masenet, Richard Wagner, and Gioachino Rossini, in addition to ballet music by Tchaïkovsky, Davide Dileo, Erick Satie, and Giuseppe Verdi. Choreography will be led by Manuel Legris, Rudolf Noureev, and Massimiliano Volpini.

In addition to operas and dance performances, a number of actors will read some literary extracts. A special arrangement has been made for this exceptional performance, which will be held without an audience. The orchestra will be located in the center of the hall, while the artists will not only be on the main stage, but also in other areas of the famous house.



Germany Goes Nuts for Viral 'Dubai Chocolate’

Pieces of Dubai chocolate with gold leaf are pictured at Abu Khaled Sweets oriental pastry shop in Berlin's Wedding district on November 14, 2024. (AFP)
Pieces of Dubai chocolate with gold leaf are pictured at Abu Khaled Sweets oriental pastry shop in Berlin's Wedding district on November 14, 2024. (AFP)
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Germany Goes Nuts for Viral 'Dubai Chocolate’

Pieces of Dubai chocolate with gold leaf are pictured at Abu Khaled Sweets oriental pastry shop in Berlin's Wedding district on November 14, 2024. (AFP)
Pieces of Dubai chocolate with gold leaf are pictured at Abu Khaled Sweets oriental pastry shop in Berlin's Wedding district on November 14, 2024. (AFP)

When Ali Fakhro lays out a row of pistachio-filled chocolate bars in the morning at his bakery in Berlin, he knows they will be gone in a matter of hours.

Inspired by the viral success of the crunchy delicacy known as "Dubai chocolate", Fakhro, 32, hunted down a recipe and began making his own version two months ago.

"On the first day I made 20 bars, but they went fast. The next day, I made 50 -- all gone too," he said.

So-called Dubai chocolate was invented in 2021 by British-Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda, who is based in Dubai.

The chunky treat consists of a blocky, hand-decorated chocolate bar with various quirky fillings -- the signature flavor being a rich pistachio cream.

The treat went viral when TikTok food influencer Maria Vehera posted a video of herself eating a bar in her car, which has since been viewed more than 100 million times.

The real thing is only available to local customers in limited quantities, but the trend has led to an explosion of copycat versions of the chocolate around the world.

Shop owner Ali Fakhro prepares Dubai chocolate at his Abu Khaled Sweets oriental pastry shop in Berlin's Wedding district on November 14, 2024. (AFP)

- Queueing in the cold -

Fakhro, who runs Abu Khaled Sweets in Berlin, experimented "several times" with different recipes before finally landing on the right ingredient to give the pistachio cream its famous crunch -- a finely shredded Middle Eastern pastry known as kataif.

Germans have been scrambling to get their hands on the chocolate with bars selling for over 100 euros ($104) on the internet.

Last week, a 31-year-old man was caught by customs attempting to smuggle 45 kilograms of the sweet treat into Germany from Switzerland.

When Swiss manufacturer Lindt launched its own version of the Dubai chocolate in Germany this month, customers queued for hours in the cold to get their hands on a bar.

At up to 20 euros per bar, the delicacy is far more expensive than your average chocolate bar -- but that didn't seem to be putting anyone off.

"I waited 10 hours. I've been here since midnight just to taste this chocolate," 18-year-old student Leon Faehnle told AFP outside a Lindt shop in Stuttgart.

Customers line-up in front of a branch of chocolate producer Lindt before the sale of 100 Dubai Chocolate bars starts in Stuttgart, southern Germany, on November 15, 2024. (AFP)

- 'Easy money' -

Lindt launched the chocolate in Germany with 1,000 numbered bars in 10 shops, a spokesman for the group told AFP, and is planning a similar launch in Austria on November 30.

Dubai chocolate has also been a hit in France, with a version by chocolatier Jeremy Bockel on show at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris earlier this month.

Yannick Burkhard, 21, queued for three hours in Stuttgart to get his hands on the chocolate -- but is not planning to eat any of it himself. Instead, he will sell it on the internet.

"I would never pay that much for this. It's quick and easy money," he said with a smile.

"This bar cost 15 euros, but it can sell for almost 100 euros... There are lots of offers on eBay, up to 300 euros," said a customer who gave his name only as Lucas, 24.

Faehnle had a more wholesome plan for his bars as he exited the shop in Stuttgart beaming with pride at his purchase.

"Now I'm going to go home and share them with my grandparents," he said.