Concerts at San Siro, unparalleled classical music performances at La Scala Theatre, live music in the venues on the navigli (canals); this city listens to music and dances to the rhythm. In Milan you can find all types of music such as lyric, jazz, rock, as well as ethnic, sacred, ethno-pop and all sorts of experimental music. Great names have passed through the Milanese limelight. The Blue Note has hosted characters such as drummer Billy Cobham and his band, pianist McCoy Tyner and Ray Gelato and his Giants! Performing at the Conservatorium of Milan, the Palazzina Liberty and the Auditorium are the protagonists of classical music, including violinist Uto Ughi, Rudolf Buchbinder, Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich and finally, the star of classical music, Chinese Lang Lang. Meanwhile at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatorium, every year there is a rich calendar of events and it is undeniably a point of reference for classical music enthusiasts. Besides the splendid auditorium Sala Verdi at the Conservatorium, classical music is afforded other privileged venues such as the Sala Puccini at the same Conservatorium, concert halls and theatres, such as Teatro dal Verme and the Teatro Nuovo, and numerous churches, in particular the Basilica di San Marco. In the city’s nocturnal venues and palazzetti, on the other hand, you can find great lovers of experimentation such as Sigur Rós, and independent artists Franz Ferdinand and the Arctic Monkeys. There are also the important singer/songwriters of the Italian landscape such as Laura Pausini and Vasco Rossi, but it is just impossible to name them all. But how could we not mention the all-time legends of music that have provided accompaniment to the dreams of entire generations, such as Frank Sinatra (1963), the Beatles (1964), U2 and the Rolling Stones, just to name a few. Those passing through Italy take “centre stage” in Milan.
