Giuseppe Verdi: Falstaff
La Scala, Milan
La Scala Orchestra and Chorus
Daniel Harding, conductor
CAST: Ambrogio Maestri (Falstaff); Fabio Capitanucci (Ford); Barbara Frittoli (Alice Ford); Irina Lungu (Nannetta); Laura Polverelli (Meg Page); Daniela Barcellona (Mistress Quickly); Francesco Demuro (Fenton); Caro Bosi (Dr. Caius); Riccardo Botta (Bardolph); Alessandro Guerzoni (Pistol)
Verdi's final two operas, Otello and Falstaff, were both based on Shakespeare. Together, they may be the finest valedictory in the history of opera, and Falstaff may also be the most optimistic.