It happened in Italy, in the city of Milan, on Friday the 21st of April, 2006, at 09:55. I had some time ‘to kill’ until my meeting in a law office. So, I wore my shorts and running shoes. I started to walk from the hotel, with no specific direction route towards the centre of Milan. My feet took me – to wherever…

I walked through the busy waking-up streets, going through shopping malls, with their typical old Italian look… I saw the big DUOMO, the wonderful impressive cathedral. I had no specific direction… just went on and on… Then suddenly, I found myself in a small piazza… it had a delightful statue in the middle. On the wall of one of the buildings I read: “Piazza La Scala”.

And then… before long… I found myself standing in front of the famous opera house. La Scala Opera House, Milan.

I walked to the front door of the building, it looked smaller then I have imagined it in the past. I was really there, touching the closed doors. Advertising was for the evening Tosca performance. All the stories about this place flashed through my mind. The great singers of the world, those I grew up to love as an opera fan. Di-Stefano, Richard Tucker, Victoria –De’ LosAngeles, Leontil Price…

I thought of my Mom who came here to see the opera house in 1970, and she then sat on a bench crying because on that day of her visit the place was closed. I felt the excitement of being a part, even for a very short time, of the real shrine of the wonderful world of opera. I had to go to my meeting… I would be back.

Opera connects performers and audiences in a shared emotional experience and it is truly a reflection of the human condition; whether the story is Shakespeare, Aesop or Hugo, it will continue to delight audiences of all ages and cultures, because on the most basic level, opera tells the story of our lives.

The great operas of my life:

Rigoletto, by Giuseppe Verdi

The story: The action takes place in the city of Mantua during the 16th century. Act I. During a feast in the Ducal palace, the Duke of Mantua confides to the courtier Borsa his interest in a young girl met casually at the temple; in the meantime...

Aida, by Giuseppe Verdi

ACT I. In ancient Egypt, near the royal palace at Memphis, Radamès learns from the high priest, Ramfis, that Ethiopia soon may bring war to the Nile valley. The young officer hopes he will be chosen as commander of the army, envisioning triumph so ...

Faust, by Charles Gounod

Story: Faust sells his soul to the Devil to regain his youth. In turn, the Devil slyly conjures up a vision of Marguerite, and Faust falls in love. However, love based on deceit is doomed to fail and – as Faust discovers – though the Devil may be ...

Il Trovatore, by Giuseppe Verdi

The story: In Biscay and Aragon, at the beginning of the 15th century. Act I. The duel. In the hall of the Aliaferia palace a group of bodyguards await the count of Luna who spends his nights guarding the dwelling of Leonora, princess of Aragon....

Madame Butterfly, by Giacomo Puccini

ACT I. Japan, early twentieth century. On a flowering terrace above Nagasaki harbor, U.S. Navy Lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton inspects the house he has leased from a marriage broker, Goro, who has just procured him three servants and a geisha wife, Cio-Cio-San,...

La Bohème, by Giacomo Puccini

ACT I. Paris, Christmas Eve, c. 1830. In their Latin Quarter garret, the painter Marcello and poet Rodolfo try to keep warm by burning pages from Rodolfo's latest drama. They are joined by their comrades — Colline, a young philosopher, and Schaunard, a...

La Traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi

The story: Act I. Paris, in mid-18th century. There is a great party in the house of Violetta Valéry, a well-known prostitute: this is how she stifles the anguish that torments her, since she knows that her health is gravely undermined. A nobleman, ...

Carmen, by Georges Bizet

ACT I: Corporal Moralès and the soldiers while away the time watching the passers-by, among whom is Micaëla, a peasant girl from Navarre. She asks Moralès if he knows Don José, and is told that he is a corporal in another platoon expected shortly to ...

Cavalleria rusticana, by Pietro Mascagni

Easter morning in a Sicilian village square during the late 19th century: Turiddu, a soldier recently returned from active service, is heard offstage praising his former sweetheart, Lola, who married Alfio while Turiddu was away. As villagers enter...