Overview
- Opening-night notices lauded Saioa Hernández’s commanding Gioconda, with the audience delivering roughly ten minutes of applause and reported attendance near 85%.
- Daniel Oren’s conducting drew acclaim for clarity and balance in Ponchielli’s dense orchestration, with the Liceu orchestra singled out for polish and color and the chorus praised despite some uneven ensemble.
- Tenor Michael Fabiano debuted as Enzo with elegant phrasing despite strain in his showcase aria, while Ksenia Dudnikova, John Relyea, Violeta Urmana and Gabriele Viviani earned respect alongside notes on vocal limits in lower registers.
- Romain Gilbert’s production embraces a traditional Venetian tableau, with Etienne Pluss’s sets, Christian Lacroix’s costumes, Valerio Tiberi’s lighting and Vincent Chaillet’s choreography framing the famed Dance of the Hours.
- The revival, a co-production with Naples’ Teatro di San Carlo, runs for 10 performances through March 2, and coverage also recorded Oren’s press-room remarks describing the Gaza war as a grave tragedy.