Performer: Francesco Castoro

A clever production enlivens a rare, early opera at the Donizetti Opera Festival. A fantastic cast and a great period orchestra seal a resounding success under the lead of Alessandro De Marchi.

The 2013 Salzburg production of Damiano Michieletto's Falstaff finally arrives in Milan where the director sets the opera in “Casa Verdi”, the Milanese residence for elderly singers and musicians.

La Scala might not have had all the right cards in its garter Tuesday night to prevent ending up holding aces and spaces, but it’s hard to play without a full deck in the first place.

A revival of a verismo rarity: Umberto Giordano's La cene delle beffe at La Scala. 

Bien que cohérente et très lisible, la mise en scène pèche par un propos excessivement radical pour l'œuvre de Verdi ; la distribution sert la partition avec justesse.