There’s no shortage of star performances here. Roberto Saccà, with his lustrous tenor voice, frees Don Ottavio from sentimentality, thus rescuing the honour of this role.

At her side as Don Ottavio, one of the finest lyric tenor voices, Roberto Saccà. His coloratura is flawless, and the serenity and piano character of the first aria is moving. Moreover, Flimm depicts him not as a pallid weakling, but as an artist and philosopher, who confronts Giovanni’s so different world in an intellectual way.

Upon the appearance of Roberto Saccà, the evening’s irritations were eclipsed by the lustre of an exquisitely fine voice. This immensely distinguished lyric tenor is the consummate craftsman of musical characters: the pining Nemorino, the alluring Herzog, the tender Alfredo, and a Tonio whose longing for the daughter of the regiment soars effortlessly up to nine top Cs.

Besides the masterly technique of a Rossini-schooled singer, Roberto Saccà as the spurned Leukippos bestowed considerable youthful impetuousness upon the unhappy shepherd, and came very close, not least due to his articulate text, to the definitive rendition.

Some of the finest work of the evening came from the Don Ottavio of Roberto Saccà. Few tenors have the energy, gallantry and heroisme the role needs - Saccà has all three.