Directed with Italianate flair in a striking contemporary setting, Verdi’s last opera had a packed house loving every minute judging by their thunderous curtain-call.

It is in this pub – or one of the half-dozen in the neighbourhood exactly like it – where Mario Martone’s extraordinary, highly recommendable new production of Falstaff begins.

Volle ha offerto un’ottima prova vocale, calibrata e perfettamente adatta al tipo di personaggio pensato da Martone, arrabbiato e con fari decisamente poco cavallereschi.

Nun indessen hält man sich fürs ungetrübte Vergnügen besser an die Staatsopern-Paarung mit Martone und Barenboim zuzüglich ihrer exklusiven Sängerriege.

Michael Volle ist als Falstaff kraftvoll, machtdurstig und souverän.