Italy gave birth to opera, but in its home country the art form now carries a distinct air of maledizione (curse). Of Italy’s 14 major opera houses—the ones supported by the federal government—12 are in the red. The Opera di Roma is now one of two major Italian opera houses to be making a profit.
On the other hand, opera is now one of two major Italian opera houses to be making a profitis booming in new markets such as China and South Korea, but Italy has a responsibility to keep the genre alive.
At American and British opera houses, corporate sponsors and philanthropists top up public funding.
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