19-28 May 2006. Conducted by Maurizio Benini, directed by Arnaud Bernard, with Alexander Vinogradov, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Ursula Ferri and Darina Takova.

More Verdi at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice with Luisa Miller (19-28 May). In contrast to Otello, here the soprano is the protagonist; the vocal type changes but the difficulty does not, as Luisa is a character requiring a melancholic and delicate song of high virtuosity. Luisa will be played by Darina Takova, a soprano accustomed to such roles having already interpreted Violetta, another rather complex and difficult Verdi character. But in Venice as in Naples, the interest will not be for the protagonist but for Rodolfo, her lover. First, because he will sing one of the most famous and beautiful arias that Verdi ever wrote: Quando le sere al placido. Secondly, because Rodolfo will be played by Giuseppe Sabbatini, a tenor with a long career who is greatly sought after and appreciated abroad. Although he is not endowed with particularly beautiful voice, he has a technique and musical intelligence that always render his interpretations studied and precise. Paolo Di Nicola