Performer: Jürg Hämmerli

That both the lead and a second key role were ill and couldn’t sing did not bode well, yet this performance of Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera shook up the house nonetheless.

The charm of Gaetano Donizetti’s spirited two-act L’elisir d’amore lies in its mixture of sharp comedy and poignant pathos. Zurich gave us just that.

From devoted wife and mother to murdering avenger, Médée is is a challenging role. A new Zurich production firmly secures her place in the collective memory, perhaps for the wrong reasons.