1) When La Traviata was first conceived, Verdi wanted the opera to be staged in “modern dress.” Yet for reasons unclear to me, the Venice opera scene insisted that it be set “in the era of Richelieu.” In a gesture befitting the Italian maestro, Spoleto’s 72th Stragione Lirici Sperimentale has done up his ambition proud.

2) When La Traviata was first performed, the audience jeered at the casting of an aging, overweight soprano in the lead role of Violetta. In an ironic reversal of gender roles tonight, the casting of the tenor somewhat strained credulity. No one, so far as I could tell, except Rebecca and me seemed bothered by the girth.

3) When Verdi’s Il Trovatore finally comes to Spoleto, I should be in a far better position to go to work seriously on A Night at The Opera, a Marx Brothers’ film that sticks true to its name. In the meantime, when I get home, I can check out the operatic straight dope in Stanley Cavell’s A Pitch of Philosophy.