A fight at the opera over Bologna musicians' pay

MILAN, Jan 9 (Reuters) Italian musicians plan to go on strike during performances of Puccini's opera ''La Boheme'' this week, but the show will go on accompanied by a solo pianist, the opera's head and a union official said.

The orchestra and chorus at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna will down tools for the sold-out performances today and tomorrow, the company's first opera of the year, in a pay dispute.

The stoppage echoes a bitter labour struggle at Milan's La Scala theatre in 2005 and is another sign of strain among Italy's 14 heavily subsidised opera houses, already reeling from budget cuts by the government.

Teatro Comunale superintendent Marco Tutino said he was replacing roughly 160 striking musicians and chorus members with a single pianist.

''I believe that the lyric theatre is a public service that should be maintained out of respect for the city and the artists that have taken part in the production,'' he told Reuters.

He said performance-blocking strikes were rare in Italian opera.

However, Riccardo Muti, musical director at La Scala, quit after striking orchestra members and workers forced the cancellation of many shows.

The strike threatens to cast a cloud over the music scene as Italy prepares to commemorate the 50th anniversary this year of the death of legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini.

The Bologna theatre and unions have been in talks for months on a dispute over back pay, including overtime claims. The Autonomous Italian Federation of Show Workers, representing most of the orchestra and chorus, called Tutino's offer to pay 50 per cent of all claims inadequate and called the strike.

''We concluded we should send a strong signal,'' union secretary Enrico Baldotto said. Three other unions have not joined the stoppage.

The opera house in Bologna, a prosperous city about 300 km north of Rome known for its left-wing politics, was offering refunds for Tuesday's and Wednesday's performances, but none had been requested, Tutino said.

REUTERS LL SSC1112