Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Michele Pertusi

Michele Mariotti conquers La Scala in Chiara Muti’s gloomy new Guillaume Tell

By Laura Servidei, 06 April 2024

Chiara Muti's new production departs from the serene Swiss landscapes of valleys and mountains to depict a gloomy, dystopian world.

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Milan

08 Apr 2024

Mariotti conquers La Scala in Muti’s gloomy new Guillaume Tell

By Laura Servidei

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A star-studded Don Carlo opens the season at La Scala

By Laura Servidei, 07 December 2023

Lluís Pasqual's production falls short of expectations, despite featuring a cast of opera stars led by the exceptional Anna Netrebko under the meticulous direction of Riccardo Chailly.

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Milan

09 Dec 2023

A star-studded Don Carlo opens the season at La Scala

By Laura Servidei

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Reggio Emilia

A Don Carlo of yesteryear at the Teatro Valli in Reggio Emilia

By Laura Servidei, 19 November 2023

An almost completely Italian cast gives life to a very successful Don Carlo currently touring Emilia Romagna.

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Reggio Emilia

21 Nov 2023

A Don Carlo of yesteryear at the Teatro Valli in Reggio Emilia

By Laura Servidei

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Yannis Kokkos' dark, gothic Lucia di Lammermoor finally makes it to La Scala

By Laura Servidei, 13 April 2023

Riccardo Chailly conducts a wonderful, integral performance of Donizetti’s masterpiece, with two of the greatest bel canto singers of our times.

*****

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*****

Milan

15 Apr 2023

A dark, gothic Lucia di Lammermoor finally makes it to La Scala

By Laura Servidei

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Naples

Grand opera, great voices: Verdi's Don Carlo opens the San Carlo season in style

By Mark Pullinger, 29 November 2022

A delayed season opening at the Teatro di San Carlo, but a night of epic grand opera as Claus Guth and Juraj Valčuha deliver a weighty Don Carlo.

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Naples

30 Nov 2022

Grand opera, great voices: Don Carlo opens the San Carlo season

By Mark Pullinger

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Radvanovsky triumphs as Cherubini's Medea opens the Met Opera season

By Robert Levine, 27 September 2022

Sir David McVicar's new production opens the Met season with house's first ever staging of Cherubini's Medea.

*****

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*****

New York City

29 Sep 2022

Radvanovsky triumphs as Cherubini's Medea opens the Met Opera season

By Robert Levine

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Female trio triumphs at La Scala: Oropesa, Crebassa and Scappucci shine in I Capuleti e i Montecchi

By Laura Servidei, 23 January 2022

Speranza Scappucci leads a dream team of singers in Bellini’s masterpiece, in a new production by Adrian Noble.

*****

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*****

Milan

24 Jan 2022

Oropesa, Crebassa and Scappucci shine at La Scala

By Laura Servidei

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Florence

Linda di Chamounix a bittersweet tale at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

By Laura Servidei, 03 October 2021

Jessica Pratt shines in this Donizetti coloratura role, with the support of Teresa Iervolino as a luxury Pierotto, and a solid cast of Italian singers.

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Florence

05 Oct 2021

Linda di Chamounix a bittersweet tale at the Maggio Musicale

By Laura Servidei

Palermo

A roof-raising Ernani in Palermo

By Mark Pullinger, 26 February 2021

Omer Meir Wellber conducts a spirited account of Verdi's early opera, semi-staged and live-streamed from the Teatro Massimo.

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Palermo

27 Feb 2021

A roof-raising Ernani in Palermo

By Mark Pullinger

Florence

Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix comes to her senses in Florence

By Lorenzo Fiorito, 15 January 2021

The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino’s proposal is fully commendable, as they restored an opera rarely performed

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Florence

19 Jan 2021

Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix comes to her senses in Florence

By Lorenzo Fiorito

Bergamo

From Byron to Donizetti, the political drama of Marino Faliero in Bergamo

By Renato Verga, 20 November 2020

14th-century Venice, a city of intrigue, criminal activity and mysterious masks, is the setting for Donizetti's opera about the Doge Marino Faliero, whose life is torn between public and private issues.

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Bergamo

21 Nov 2020

The political drama of Marino Faliero in Bergamo

By Renato Verga

Vienna

Konwitschny’s controversial Don Carlos a must-see at the Wiener Staatsoper

By Chanda VanderHart, 04 October 2020

A five-hour operatic marathon as the full, five-act French version of Verdi's epic Don Carlos returns to the Staatsoper after a seven-year hiatus.

*****

*****

Vienna

05 Oct 2020

Konwitschny’s controversial Don Carlos a must-see in Vienna

By Chanda VanderHart

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Rome

Verdi's Vêpres siciliennes opens the operatic season in Rome

By Renato Verga, 10 December 2019

Living in an environment influenced by French culture, Verdi saw the chance of breathing new life into the Italian opera through the grand-opéra. Les Vêpres siciliennes is his successful attempt.

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Rome

11 Dec 2019

Verdi's Vêpres siciliennes opens the operatic season in Rome

By Renato Verga

I masnadieri: “Verdi's ugliest opera” returns to La Scala with mixed results

By Renato Verga, 18 June 2019

In the role created for Jenny Lind, Lisette Oropesa, in her debut in the theater, shows her magnificent silvery voice, beautiful vibrato and impeccable colorature.

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Milan

19 Jun 2019

“Verdi's ugliest opera” returns to La Scala with mixed results

By Renato Verga

Pesaro

Pier Luigi Pizzi’s Barbiere triumphs in Pesaro

By Laura Servidei, 16 August 2018

The Rossini Opera Festival stages a new production of the most famous of Rossini’s masterpieces to celebrate the composer in the 150th anniversary of his death.

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Pesaro

18 Aug 2018

Pier Luigi Pizzi’s Barbiere triumphs in Pesaro

By Laura Servidei

Darkness and grandeur in Christophe Honoré's staging of Don Carlos for Opéra de Lyon

By Mark Pullinger, 17 March 2018

A (nearly) complete performance of the original French version of Don Carlos forms the centrepiece of Daniele Rustioni's Verdi Festival in Lyon.

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Lyon

18 Mar 2018

Darkness and grandeur in Christophe Honoré's Don Carlos

By Mark Pullinger

Joyce DiDonato leads the vocal pyrotechnics in a dazzling Semiramide at the Royal Opera

By Mark Pullinger, 19 November 2017

Lengthy but full of melodic invention, Semiramide finally made her triumphant return to the Royal Opera in David Alden's fine new production.

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London

19 Nov 2017

A dazzling Semiramide at the Royal Opera

By Mark Pullinger

A devastating revival of Katie Mitchell's Lucia di Lammermoor

By Dominic Lowe, 30 October 2017

Issues that cropped up in the first run of Mitchell's production have been ironed out. In the hands of a strong cast, a chilling interpretation of Donizetti's masterpiece.

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London

31 Oct 2017

Devastating Lucia revival at Covent Garden

By Dominic Lowe

Rossini’s Thieving Magpie doesn’t quite take flight at La Scala

By Mark Pullinger, 12 April 2017

La gazza ladra celebrates its 200th anniversary with a new production at La Scala, an earthbound effort from director Gabriele Salvatores, but it was Riccardo Chailly who drew the wrath of sections of the Milanese audience.

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Milan

13 Apr 2017

Thieving Magpie doesn’t quite take flight at La Scala

By Mark Pullinger

Madrid

Warrior druidess: Norma as Games of Thrones at Teatro Real

By Fernando Remiro, 23 October 2016

Livermore turns Norma into a dubious tribute to fantasy B-movies but Gregory Kunde and Karine Deshayes come to the rescue.

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Madrid

24 Oct 2016

Norma as Games of Thrones at Teatro Real

By Fernando Remiro

Hellfire and damnation as Noseda and the LSO blaze through Verdi's Requiem

By Mark Pullinger, 18 September 2016

Gianandrea Noseda leads a fiery account of Verdi's “opera in ecclesiastical garb” to open the LSO's new season.

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London

19 Sep 2016

Hellfire and damnation in Verdi's Requiem, London

By Mark Pullinger

Zurich

An alignment of love and madness: Bellini’s I puritani in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet, 29 June 2016

Andreas Homoki’s new production of Vincenzo Bellini’s I puritani wows with a quartet of stellar vocalists, but its awkward staging and set design are a distinct disappointment.

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Zurich

01 Jul 2016

Bellini’s I puritani in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet

Hong Kong

Bringing colour to a sombre tale: Simon Boccanegra at the Hong Kong Arts Festival

By Alan Yu, 28 February 2016

Patchy vocal offering saved by superb orchestra in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra.

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Hong Kong

29 Feb 2016

Bringing colour to a sombre tale: Simon Boccanegra

By Alan Yu

Naïf Art Nostalgia: L'elisir d'amore at Teatro alla Scala

By Courtney Smith, 03 October 2015

A charmingly-retro, Naïf Art production of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore at Teatro alla Scala provided a refreshing departure from the minimal, post-apocalyptic devastation trends of modern stagecraft.

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Milan

04 Oct 2015

Naïf Art Nostalgia: L'elisir d'amore at Teatro alla Scala

By Courtney Smith

Turin

Sacred Verdi ushers in Teatro Regio's new season

By Edoardo Pelligra, 04 October 2014

Teatro Regio in Turin paid its first seasonal tribute to Giuseppe Verdi with an engaging execution of the Messa da Reqiuem.

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Turin

06 Oct 2014

Sacred Verdi ushers in Teatro Regio's new season

By Edoardo Pelligra

A chic Così fan tutte at La Scala

By James Imam, 19 June 2014

Guth's production is beautiful to look at, but fails to bring out the best in Mozart's drama.

***11

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Milan

23 Jun 2014

A chic Così fan tutte at La Scala

By James Imam

Strong leads in Met’s Puritani revival

By Robert Levine, 29 April 2014

There is much to enjoy in the Met’s revival of its almost 40 year old production of Bellini’s I Puritani although almost none of it is visual, with Olga Peretyatko and Lawrence Brownlee both fitting the bill.

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New York City

01 May 2014

Strong leads in Met’s Puritani revival

By Robert Levine

Diana Damrau knocks it “out of the park” in Met's La Sonnambula

By Rebecca Lentjes, 14 March 2014

This year’s revival of Mary Zimmerman’s La Sonnambula at the Met requires too much suspension of disbelief to seriously work, but it provides a fun and vibrant take on Bellini’s bel canto opera all the same. In the title role, Diana Damrau knocked it out of the park.

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New York City

17 Mar 2014

Diana Damrau knocks it “out of the park” in Met's La Sonnambula

By Rebecca Lentjes

Eglise Gutiérrez sparkles in a sleepy Covent Garden Sonnambula

By David Karlin, 02 November 2011

When you discover your bride-to-be in another man's bed on the eve of your wedding day, the excuse "Darling, I must have been sleepwalking" rates somewhere near the same level of credibility as "Sir, the dog ate my homework." But hey, this is opera, and bel canto opera at that. You didn't come to Bellini's La Sonnambula for the story and the drama: you came here for the singing.

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London

03 Nov 2011

Eglise Gutiérrez sparkles in a sleepy Covent Garden Sonnambula

By David Karlin

Antonio Pappano and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia bring William Tell to the Proms

By Laura Kate Wilson, 16 July 2011

On Saturday night, Antonio Pappano and his Roman orchestra and chorus, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, brought us the first opera of the 2011 Proms- Gioachino Rossini's William Tell.

London

19 Jul 2011

Antonio Pappano and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia bring William Tell to the Proms

By Laura Kate Wilson

Met’s ‘Ory’ Bubbles Like Champagne

By Gale Martin, 09 April 2011

When Franz Liszt conducted Le Comte Ory in Weimar, he said it “bubbled like champagne,” according to the Metropolitan Opera’s program note. It also noted that Liszt arranged for the audience to be served champagne in Act II.

*****

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New York City

14 Apr 2011

Met’s ‘Ory’ Bubbles Like Champagne

By Gale Martin

The Met in HD: La Sonnambula, 2009

By Charlotte Valori, 21 March 2009

Read our review of Mary Zimmerman's production of Bellini's La Sonnambula in its 2009 broadcast from the Met Opera in New York.

New York City

01 Dec 2013

The Met in HD: La Sonnambula, 2009

By Charlotte Valori

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La Force du destin : Rustioni quitte l'Opéra de Lyon en beauté

By Stéphane Lelièvre, 14 March 2025

Une vision scénique peu convaincante, mais une interprétation musicale galvanisée par la direction de Daniele Rustioni qui dirige ici sa dernière production lyrique en tant que directeur musical de l'Opéra de Lyon.

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Lyon

16 Mar 2025

La Force du destin : Rustioni quitte l'Opéra de Lyon en beauté

By Stéphane Lelièvre

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Brussels

Alain Altinoglu conduit ses forces de la Monnaie au triomphe dans le Requiem de Verdi

By Patrice Lieberman, 13 November 2024

Des forces orchestrales et chorales exemplaires, des solistes de premier plan et un chef inspiré : il n'a rien manqué à l'œuvre de Verdi, écoutée dans un silence religieux par une salle captivée.

*****

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Brussels

14 Nov 2024

Le Requiem de Verdi triomphal d'Alain Altinoglu à la Monnaie

By Patrice Lieberman

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Brussels

Turandot selon Coppens à la Monnaie, entre décadence et rédemption

By Patrice Lieberman, 16 June 2024

Cent ans après le décès de Giacomo Puccini à Bruxelles, la maison belge propose une nouvelle production de son ultime ouvrage inachevé, dans une intéressante mise en scène de Christophe Coppens.

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Brussels

17 Jun 2024

Turandot selon Coppens à la Monnaie, entre décadence et rédemption

By Patrice Lieberman

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Salzburg

Schön wie eine Liebeserklärung: I Capuleti e i Montecchi bei den Salzburger Festspielen

By Isabella Steppan, 21 August 2023

Eine konzertante Aufführung von Bellinis Oper sorgt dank Aigul Akhmetshina und Elsa Dreisig für den wohl beeindruckendsten Opernmoment des Sommers.

*****

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*****

Salzburg

22 Aug 2023

Schön wie eine Liebeserklärung: I Capuleti e i Montecchi in Salzburg

By Isabella Steppan

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Moïse et Pharaon réussissent la traversée Aix-en-Provence – Lyon

By Irma Foletti, 24 January 2023

Après sa présentation au Festival d'Aix-en-Provence l'été dernier, la mise en scène de Tobias Kratzer fait ses débuts sur la scène lyonnaise, avec la même réussite.

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Lyon

26 Jan 2023

Moïse et Pharaon réussissent la traversée Aix-en-Provence – Lyon

By Irma Foletti

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Aix-en-Provence

À Aix-en-Provence, Tobias Kratzer joue la fracture sociale dans Moïse et Pharaon

By Romain Daroles, 07 July 2022

Le metteur en scène flirte avec un discours moralisateur peu subtil mais s'en tire en proposant une belle satire ; le plateau vocal n'est en revanche pas à la hauteur des grandes soirées du Festival.

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Aix-en-Provence

08 Jul 2022

À Aix, Tobias Kratzer joue la fracture sociale dans Moïse et Pharaon

By Romain Daroles

Geneva

Une mise en scène pas très catholique pour Les Huguenots genevois

By Stéphane Lelièvre, 26 February 2020

Le Grand Théâtre de Genève propose une version des Huguenots satisfaisante musicalement mais desservie, hélas, par une lecture scénique dont on cherche en vain les clés.

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Geneva

01 Mar 2020

Une mise en scène pas très catholique pour Les Huguenots genevois

By Stéphane Lelièvre

Madrid

El Teatro Real abre la temporada con un espectacular Don Carlo

By David Santana Cañas, 19 September 2019

Monumentalidad y grandes voces encienden la nueva temporada del Teatro Real.

*****

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Madrid

21 Sep 2019

Don Carlo y las cruces del Teatro Real

By David Santana Cañas

Paris

Don Pasquale à Garnier : quelle maison de fous !

By Tristan Labouret, 28 March 2019

L'Opéra Garnier propose la reprise de la géniale mise en scène de Damiano Michieletto, qui multiplie les trouvailles heureuses. Michele Pertusi, Christian Senn, Javier Camarena et Pretty Yende forment une distribution convaincante.

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Paris

01 Apr 2019

Don Pasquale à Garnier : quelle maison de fous !

By Tristan Labouret

Valencia

Verdi como mantra: I masnadieri llega a Les Arts

By Juan José Freijo, 09 February 2019

La siempre excelente actuación de la Orquesta de la Comunidad y un reparto vocal bien empastado invitan a abandonarse al simple disfrute de los sentidos.

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Valencia

12 Feb 2019

Verdi como mantra: I masnadieri llega a Les Arts

By Juan José Freijo

Brussels

Irrésistible Don Pasquale à La Monnaie

By Patrice Lieberman, 12 December 2018

Mis en scène par Laurent Pelly, Don Pasquale de Donizetti est présenté à La Monnaie : une machinerie réglée au millimètre près, sur la fabuleuse vis comica d’une musique extraordinairement efficace.

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Brussels

14 Dec 2018

Irrésistible Don Pasquale à La Monnaie

By Patrice Lieberman

Toulouse

Ernani au Capitole : du bel canto avant toute chose

By Arnaud Saura-Ziegelmeyer, 17 March 2017

Adaptation de l’œuvre de Victor Hugo, l’Ernani de Verdi capte les tensions de la société d’Ancien Régime révélée par un amour impossible entre Elvire et ses trois prétendants le roi Don Carlo, le vieux duc Donc Ruy Gomez de Silva et celui qu’elle aime en secret Ernani. Les adeptes du bel canto seront servis durant cette soirée.

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Toulouse

20 Mar 2017

Ernani au Capitole : du bel canto avant toute chose

By Arnaud Saura-Ziegelmeyer

Avignon

Ciofi/Deshayes dans Maria Stuarda : confrontation au sommet

By Sébastien Herbecq, 24 January 2016

Patrizia Ciofi et Karine Deshayes ont justement rendu hommage à la plus saisissante confrontation royale du répertoire lyrique. Cette Maria Stuarda a tenu ses promesses.

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Avignon

25 Jan 2016

Ciofi/Deshayes dans Maria Stuarda : confrontation au sommet

By Sébastien Herbecq

Zelmira à l’Opéra de Lyon : splendeurs belcantistes sous la baguette d’Evelino Pidò

By Beate Langenbruch, 08 November 2015

Rossini sublimé par les voix expertes de Sergey Romanovsky, Michele Pertusi et Marianna Pizzolato à l'Opéra de Lyon.

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Lyon

12 Nov 2015

Zelmira à l’Opéra de Lyon : splendeurs belcantistes sous la baguette d’Evelino Pidò

By Beate Langenbruch

Vienna

Der alte Knacker, seine Tussi und ihr Latin Lover: Don Pasquale an der Wiener Staatsoper

By Snapdragon, 29 April 2015

Michele Pertusi, Juan Diego Flórez, Alessio Arduini und Valentina Naforniţă machen das Beste aus der bunten Neuinszenierung von Irina Brook, die sich ansonsten auf Pointenmanagement beschränkt.

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Vienna

04 May 2015

Don Pasquale ganz in Pink

By Snapdragon