26-28 June 2009. Conducted by James Conlon, directed by Woody Allen, with Sir Thomas Allen, Laura Tatulescu, Jill Grove.

The Festival di Spoleto has planned just six evenings of opera music with Gianni Schicchi by Puccini appearing from 26-28 June and Mozart by Sacha Guitry with music by Reynaldo Hahn from 3-5 July. Gianni Schicchi comes courtesy of Woody Allen whose lyric opera debut premiered last September in Los Angeles. This production has a post-neorealist feel with tributes to the Italian comedic tradition of Pietro Germi and the unforgettable Marcello Mastroianni. Other key names involved are Sir Thomas Allen and director James Conlon, who both received ample applause in Los Angeles. Paolo Di Nicola