May 1994 Volume 45 No 5

Founded by rhe Earl of f-lare1vood Ediwr 1953-86 Harold Rosenrhal, OBE

era

Editor Rodney Milnes Associare Ediror Max Loppert Assisranr Ediror John Allison Adminisrrarive Direcror Deidre Tilley Editorial Board Alan Blyth Hugh Canning Andrew Clark Andrew Clements Richard Fairman El izabeth Forbes Noel Goodwin Arthur Ja cobs Charle O borne Andrew Porter Desmond Shawe-Taylor John Warrack

Editorial Offices la Mountgrove Road London 5 2LU Telephone: 071-359 1037 Fax: 071-354 2700

Advertising orders and copy to Jackson-Rudd & Associates (London North East) Ltd 2 Luke Street London EC2A 4NT Tel: 071-613 0717 Fax: 071-6 13 I 108 Adverrisemenr Manager Brian R. Hook

525 Italian issues The Editor 526 The return of Freni Rodney Milnes 530 Opera in Italy: Instability and change

N igel Jamieson 536 Readers· Letters 539 People 200: Ruggero Raimondi

Andrew Clark 546 Opera Newsdesk 548 Jesi's jewel-box theatre

Fernando BaHaglia 550 Italian Opera Competition 551 A view from the top Sherrill Milnes talks to Elizabeth Forbes 556 Obituary 557 Opera Around the World: reports from America. Austri a. Czech Republic, Denmark. France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands. Russia. Switzerland 569-584 COMING EVE1 TS SUPPLEMENT

including plans for the UK houses. Metropolitan Opera; Festivals: 'We hear that .. .-: Opera calendar home and abroad 606 British Opera Diary: ·Ariodante· and

· Pelleas et Melisande' from W 0: Opera Northern Ireland 's 'Barber of Seville·: ·Katya Kabanova'. ·Rigoletto· and 'Ballo in maschera· at Covent Garden: E o·s ·The Pea rl Fishe rs ' 619 Opera on the fringe 625 Opera at the colleges 632 Opera in concert 634 Opera on disc 640 Classifi d advertisements

Fronr cover: Mirella Freni (photo: Ch ri s ti an Ste iner)