17-28 June. Donizetti's opera is conducted by Riccardo Frizza and directed by Emilio Sagi with Australian soprano Jessica Pratt in the lead role and the Spanish tenor Ismael Jordi as Carlo. This is a co-production with Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu.

Donizetti's opera premiered in Vienna in 1842 and had considerable success in the decades after, particularly in Italy, but was then neglected throughout most of the 20th century usually performed in concert form only. Although it features one of Donizetti's best arias “O luce di quest' anima” it is now mainly a showcase for coloratura sopranos.

This is a first for both conductor Frizza, Pratt and Jordi. Although the 2011 debut of the Sagi production in Barcelona boasted opera stars Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Florez it was not very successful. However the return of Jessica Pratt to the Rome opera house has been greeted with enthusiasm. Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Piazza Beniamino Gigli 7, www.operadiroma.it.