Weinstein's account of performances given charts those in the 20th century beginning from 1905. Stagings were presented as frequently as every two years in one European or North American venue or another, and they continued through the 1950s "bel canto" revivals up to the publication of his book in 1971. The opera was rescued from the ornamental excesses and misrepresentations more similar to the baroque style than the "bel canto" of Bellini when it was sung by Maria Callas in the now-famous 1955 production by Luchino Visconti at La Scala.