Performer: Nello Santi

You feel you ought not to approve of such directorial extravagance, but catch yourself being drawn into the grand pageant. 

This was a performance that had you lickng your lips for Santi’s return next season with Zeffirelli’s time-honoured take on Aida.

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.

Netrebko's Violetta is now fuller in body and voice than in her former incarnation. Goodbye to the fresh-faced damsel we saw in Salzburg; hello to a larger-than-life courtesan in her twilight years.

In this staging of Verdi’s  masterpiece, the director reminds us that the ominous epilogue springs from its short prelude.

This production of Norma was definitely the best staging seen at the San Carlo in recent years.