FIRST OFF . . .

Demanding operagoers at La Scala in Milan, Italy, cheered American soprano Kalle Esperian but turned on one of their own, Italy’s Katia Ricciarelli, in performances of Verdi’s “Luisa Miller.” Esperian, 28, of Chicago, took over the remaining performances for Ricciarelli who irately withdrew after being booed during two earlier appearances. Esperian received rousing applause, shouts of, “Brava!” and nine curtain calls. “Sensational success for Esperian, the new Luisa Miller,” the Milan newspaper Corriere della Sera said Monday. “She conquered the audience with the quality of her voice and her dramatic charge.” Esperian, a pupil of tenor Luciano Pavarotti and a winner of the Philadelphia opera contest in 1985, said “it was an unbelievable experience. I was very tense for a debut in extremely difficult conditions. Now I am overjoyed.” Ricciarelli, the wife of Italian TV entertainer Pippo Baudo, announced that “I’ll never sing at La Scala again” after being repeatedly booed and whistled in two performances last week. She was scheduled to sing three more nights at La Scala through May 31.