New chief in Buenos Aires

Pedro Pablo García Caffi is the new GM of Il Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. The grand reopening of the Opera House is scheduled for May 15, 2010, when Aïda will be conducted by Placido Domingo. From Qobuz.

Teatro Colón - when will it be ready?

In a recent interview, the minister of Urban Developing of Buenos Aires Daniel Chain confirmed the planned re-opening of the Teatro Colón on May 25, 2010, for the 200th anniversary of the May Revolution in Argentina. Yet this seems to be just the tip of the iceberg, as numerous problems emerge regularly, according to the excellent blog, Habitués del Teatro Colón.
To read more about the renovation plan, see there.

2 year delay for Colón

I've already talked about the delays and numerous problems the renovation of Il Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires has raised.

The "wait and see" part is over. It has now been announced that the Opera House, scheduled initially to reopen in May 2008 will remain closed until 2010.
The grand reopening celebrating the centennial of the place is off, as is indeed the 2008-2009 season.

Director Horacio Sanguinetti insisted the Colón will be ready for the 2010 season, which includes commitments by the orchestra of Il Teatro Alla Scala led by Argentine-born conductor Daniel Barenboim.

If you want first-hand news and opinions from Buenos Aires, I recommand Habitués del Teatro Colon Weblog (in spanish).

Teatro Colón Master Plan

The legendary Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires is closed since last year (November 2006) for undergoing massive renovations (impressive pictures here, Argentina TV report in Spanish here).

It was initially supposed to be ready for Grand Reopening on May 25 2008, celebrating the centennial of the Opera House with Verdi's Aïda.
By then, the 2,478-seat hall will be totally new: the acoustic tiles, the wooden stage and balconies, the lighting and air conditioning, all will be changed - and supposively improved.
Well, it turns out things aren't going that well.

First of all, the Teatro Colón won't open until August or September of 2008, an anonymous technical staff told the AFP. Then, there's the acoustics. Teresa De Anchorena, a Buenos Aires official, explained to the AFP that changing the curtain and all other textiles in the theater may cause a drastic change in the previously nearly-perfect acoustics. Rafael Sanchez Quintana, an engineer in acoustics, said that things are under control, but who really knows?
I guess it's "wait and see" at this point.