Hints and tips:
...Last year, the it appointed Juan Diego Flórez, the Peruvian bel canto tenor who shot to fame in a Pesaro production in the 1990s, as artistic director until 2026....
...The fate of Ricciardo e Zoraide typifies the good work....
...A clutch of sparkling encores followed: more Rossini, Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Verdi’s “La donna è mobile”, and a “little Peruvian song” to finish....
...Cast against type, Juan Diego Flórez turned “La donna e mobile” into a model of bel-canto finesse while modelling a diminutive version of a Caruso costume....
...Flórez and Kurzak have the notes but neither has a voice big or expressive enough to thrill....
...A standing ovation, mid-scene, marked the first solo encore in the house since Luciano Pavarotti repeated “E lucevan le stelle” in Tosca 14 years ago....
International Edition