It obviously wasn’t the first time I set foot in one of Italy’s most beautiful theaters in Parma, but it was the very first time I came for the Verdi Festival in Parma. My first impression was that I felt like a tropical animal setting foot in the city for the first time—because not only is everyone so elegant in this theater, but even though I had a suit jacket, a shirt, dark jeans, and a nice pair of dress shoes, it just wasn’t enough to measure up to the Italians. My friends from Opera Libera or the members of the Club dei 27 , all so elegant when we greeted each other at the entrance… I knew my outfit that night wasn’t enough to honor the memory of the greatest opera composer of all time!

Every year, this festival has been like a “Maledizione” for me—I never managed to come because of work or travel issues. But this year, with Otello opening the festival, I knew, whatever it took, I had to get myself to Italy’s cheese capital.

Especially since just six days before, I was in Madrid watching Jorge de León shine as Otello in what was probably my best opera night of 2025. So you can imagine the pressure. Otello, in Parma, on a Verdi Festival night—that’s something, right?

And the pressure was even higher because I was finally going to see a baritone who is shaping up to be one of opera’s future stars: Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar. I had already seen him excel twice in La Forza del Destino (in Lyon and at the Chorégies d’Orange), and my colleague Henri had just seen him in Nabucco in France. Did the Mongolian baritone live up to all the hype? I won’t make you wait… YES. Yes, yes, and yes. His voice is stunning, with incredible depth, especially in the aria where he plots against Otello, and his stage presence is magnetic. Even if he was a bit challenged in the higher range two or three times, at this level you forgive everything—even the greatest. Ariun (if I may call you that) once again proved in such a short time that he is the Verdian baritone of the moment!

BUT! The opera isn’t called Iago, it’s Otello—and stepping out for the title role was the Italian tenor Fabio Sartori, a role he’s sung many times before, most recently (if I recall correctly) not far from Parma, in Florence. And he delivered a very good Otello. God knows this is considered the cruelest role in Verdi’s repertoire, and Sartori managed it with honors and warm applause from the audience. That said, the final death scene was a bit strange and unclear: he smears blood on his face without it being obvious how he actually dies (no stab wound, no sword strike…). Still, a fine interpretation that proves once again that there are strong Otellos out there right now, and that this masterpiece deserves to be staged all across Europe!

And then there was the moment when the conductor practically had to stop the orchestra because the audience erupted after the Ave Maria sung by the brilliant Mariangela Sicilia! Just a reminder: as beautiful as that aria is, Otello is THE opera where applause should ideally wait until the end—however deserved it is. Please, let the music continue, it’s like stopping Di quella pira after the very first “Allarmi!” But seriously—Sicilia’s interpretation was divine, and the thunderous ovation during the curtain calls said it all.

Always a pleasure too to see Davide Tuscano as Cassio. The role suits him perfectly, his voice matches beautifully with the tessitura, and having heard him a few months back as the Duke of Mantua in Bern, this time, even with a smaller role, he brought the same quality. #fazzoletto

The real letdown was the staging, which felt lazy and uninspired. “Alla fine della fine,” the only moment I felt a bit of excitement was when the red curtains fell. Too bad, considering what a playground Otello is for stage direction.

Anyway, as I write these lines, I’m just a few hours away from heading to Busseto for Macbeth. So rest assured, tonight will be a party—and it will always be the best time to shout: VIVA VERDI!

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