William Matteuzzi tutte"), Vincenzo Bellini ("I Puritani" and "La Sonnambula"), Gaetano Donizetti ("La fille du régiment") and Giovanni Pacini ("L’ultimo giorno di Pompei"). A highly respected Rossini specialist, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1988 as Count Almaviva in "Il barbiere di Siviglia". He has performed Rossini's comic operas "La scala di seta", "L'occasione fa il ladro", "L'italiana in Algeri", "La gazza ladra", "La Cenerentola", "La pietra del paragone", "Il viaggio a Reims", "Le comte Ory" as well as his "opere serie" "Otello", "Zelmira, Armida", "Ricciardo e Zoraide", "Maometto II", "Semiramide", etc. He now mainly dedicates himself to teaching singing and
La Scala to follow opera libretti in English and Italian in addition to the original language. The opera house re-opened on 7 December 2004 with a production, conducted by Riccardo Muti, of Salieri's "Europa riconosciuta", the opera performed at La Scala's inauguration in 1778. Tickets for the re-opening fetched up to €2,000. The renovations cost a reported €61 million, and left a budget shortfall that the opera house overcame in 2006. Carlo Fontana, the general manager of La Scala since 1990, was dismissed in February 2005 by the board of governors over differences with the music director, Riccardo Muti. The resulting staff