You quote Yuval Sharon, director of the Detroit Opera House, commenting that “he wouldn’t mind too much if opera died” (“Singing a new tune”, Music, Life & Arts, September 28).
His argument, which you say is an unusual position for the artistic director of an opera house to take, is that the next stage in the death of an art form is its rebirth. Directors of Italian opera houses would definitely demur.
Indeed just last month, a group of five provincial opera houses in Lombardy unveiled plans to make opera more accessible.
The project launched on September 24, Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème opening at the Teatro Sociale in Como with special ticket prices for under-30s, followed two days later with full, but nevertheless accessible, prices for the general public.
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AsLiCo, a non-profit association established in Milan in 1949, has been running a project called Opera Education for schoolchildren of all ages since 1996 and through Opera White is now also taking opera into old people’s homes. In Brescia, for example, on the morning on September 29 a group of physically and psychologically challenged young people were given a guided tour of the city’s Teatro Grande.
They were treated to a backstage recital of arias from Vincenzo Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi by the tenor Matteo Falcier whom they heard in the role of Tebaldo in the afternoon. The first night had been two days earlier. Through its Open project, the Teatro Grande is widening accessibility to opera. Similar initiatives are under way in Cremona, Pavia and Bergamo.
In December last year the practice of opera singing in Italy was inscribed on Unesco’s list of “intangible cultural heritage of humanity”. The directors of the five Lombard theatres are doing their best to ensure that it remains so.
The savvy supermarket shopper revealed how they nabbed a George easy care duvet set with two pillowcases for just £2 with the original price £21.
The post read: “Bargain of the day king size winter bedding, only £2!”
Many users tagged their friends and family to alert them of the incredible savings.
Another user commented: “I got this too, it’s beautiful.”
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If you’re keen to get one of the discounted duvets, it could be worth calling your local Asda store to see if they have what you’re looking for in stock.
You can find your nearest store by using the locator tool on the supermarket’s website.
Do bear in mind too that when prices are reduced by this much it’s usually in order for stores to clear excess stock, so availability will vary from store to store.
Other George Home Duvet Sets in King size are still going for at least £21 online.
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It’s always best to phone ahead to your local shop to check what they have available to avoid disappointment.
It always pays to compare prices so you know you’re getting the best deal.
Primark has everything you need to buy an autumn boo basket – and prices starting at just £2.50
Prices can also vary day to day and by what deals are on at the time, plus remember you might pay for delivery if you’re ordering online.
You can compare prices on platforms like Google Shopping.
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Just type in keywords, or a product number, to bring up search results.
Price Spy also logs the history of how much something costs from over 3,000 different retailers, including Argos, Amazon, eBay and the supermarkets.
Once you select an individual product you can quickly compare which stores have the best price and which have it in stock.
Idealo is another website that lets you compare prices between retailers.
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All shoppers need to do is search for the item they need and the website will rank them from the cheapest to the most expensive one.
She said: “Asda often has an alcohol offer on: buy six bottles and save 25%.
“The offer includes selected bottles with red, white and rose options, as well as prosecco. There are usually lots of popular bottles included, for example, Oyster Bay Hawkes Bay Merlot, Oyster Bay Hawkes Bay Merlot and Freixenet Prosecco D.O.C.
“Obviously, the more expensive the bottles you choose, the more you save.”
Join Facebook groups
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The savvy saver also recommends that fans of Asda join Facebook groups to keep in the know about the latest bargains in-store.
Eilish said: “I recommend joining the Latest Deals Facebook Group to find out about the latest deals and new launches in store.
“Every day, more than 250,000 deal hunters share their latest bargain finds and new releases.
“For example, recently a member shared a picture of Asda’s new Barbie range spotted in store.
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“Another member shared the bargain outdoor plants she picked up, including roses for 47p, blackcurrant bushes for 14p and topiary trees for 14p.”
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
THEY say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned – and I think it must be true as I run, claw and scream my way out of a horror house haunted exclusively by women.
The horror nights — this year open for their longest-ever run until November 3 — create terrifying houses based on slasher flicks recently at the cinema.
Anyone who has watched these movies will be stunned at how accurate the Universal houses are and how realistic it feels to be placed in the storylines.
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America loves to do everything bigger and better and the horror houses here are full-scale sets.
Midway through Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, you are greeted by a larger-than-life replica of the New York Fire Station.
Flight cancelled or delayed? Top tips for handling travel disruptions
And true to the movie, it also happens to be snowing.
It’s impressive, but you only have a few seconds to appreciate the incredible detail before Garraka, the resident baddie, appears out of nowhere and you’re making a mad dash for the exit.
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This year, girl power rules supreme with an all-original haunted house, Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines, that features exclusively female monsters, including The Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula’s Daughter and She-Wolf of London.
As I navigate the house, there is no doubt this experience feels different to the other slasher-heavy ones in the line-up.
There is certainly no lack of jump-scares and sudden frights, but it’s cleverly seductive, as all the best women are.
There are ten horror houses in total, including one themed around children who become demonic after eating sweets, which I am sure many parents can relate to.
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Each house also comes with its own spin-off street food vendor, serving freaky treats including a Red Door Pie from Insidious and an Instagram-tastic Ghostbusters Stay Puft S’more, which was the most sought-after snack of this year’s event.
Even when taking a break from the haunted houses, the horror continues with dedicated scare zones around the park.
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Jump scares and sudden frights
This year they featured characters from the Blumhouse franchise, including M3GAN and The Grabber.
The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter is also open and fans should be on the lookout for Death Eaters, who will almost certainly make an appearance.
Halloween Horror Nights are recommended for guests over the age of 13 and it is easy to see why.
This epic gore-fest is terrifyingly realistic — and watching fully grown adults jumping out of their skin is endlessly entertaining.
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The next day, Universal Studios as we know it is back to normal, but girl power is still going strong.
Poppy from Trolls was high-fiving guests at DreamWorks and Marilyn Monroe was spotted cruising past in a classic car.
It baffles that just hours ago, demons roamed the streets to a soundtrack of screams and that now there is no trace of that terror.
But that’s the magic of the movies, after all.
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GO: FLORIDA
GETTING / STAYING THERE: Virgin Holidays has seven nights’ room-only at the 4* Loews Sapphire Falls at Universal Orlando from £1,268pp, including Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow on September 3, 2025.
Or depart on November 1 this year with prices from £1,962pp including 3 Park Explorer and Halloween Horror Nights ticket.
In “Bliss was it in that dawn to be in retail” (Opinion, October 12) Tony Barber recalls how he worked in retail in the 1970s. I too worked in retail, in Regent Street in the 1950s — it was so glamorous, you could smell the luxury as you crossed the threshold. Queen Mary used to shop at Dickins & Jones. Liberty’s, its neighbour, was extravagantly beautiful, as were all the emporia from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus. I would welcome customers at the front door and direct them to the appropriate department — no franchises then, each buyer was autonomous — from hats to haberdashery, couture to corsetry.
Maybe I would escort them to the lifts: or greet them as they walked into the department making sure that the girls all looked busy, and were summoned to serve in correct order of seniority. The days were long, the pay minimal and it was tiring, but in hindsight the glamour remains.
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