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MILAN (AP) — Principal conductor Riccardo Chailly has avenged Giacomo Puccini's memory with a successful staging of the composer's original version of "Madama Butterfly" for La Scala's gala season-opener Wednesday, 112 year after its hotly contested world premiere on the same stage. The VIP crowd showered Chailly, lead singers, orchestra and chorus with a quarter hour of applause and a cascade of roses for the bold choice of reviving the opera for the first time at La Scala as Puccini originally envisioned, but swiftly rewrote after a disastrous reception. "This evening was a moment of important recognition for the greatness of this first version," Chailly said. In a rare break with tradition, neither Italy's president nor premier attended the gala opening of the famed Milan opera house, one of the European cultural calendar's premier events attended each year by captains of finance, industry, culture and politics. President Sergio Mattarella canceled his attendance at the last minute due to the country's latest political crisis prompted by Premier Matteo Renzi's resignation, which ultimately coincided with the performance.Read more on NewsOK.com