Artiste: Sofia Mchedlishvili

A stellar cast and a new, old-fashioned production bring back Ricciardo e Zoraide to Pesaro after 22 years.

On a balmy evening in Milan, there was anticipation in the air as queues stretched way back for a sold out performance of Carmen. But a flat atmosphere soon fell in the auditorium itself, with lacklustre singing and confused staging to blame.