L'Occasione Fa Il Ladro is an early Rossini work, and in my mind deserving of more recognition than it does. It is not one of Rossini's best operas, but it is swift, charming, funny and with the composer's beautiful and distinctive style all over it. This production is a gem, if you wish to introduce yourself to L'Occasione Fa Il Ladro do so here. The costumes and sets are simple but elegant and evocative also, while the stage direction is intelligent and helps to tell the story in a lively and very amusing way. The music has Rossini written all over it, and it is brought to life by energetic and lush orchestral playing and Gelmetti's(no stranger to Rossini's music himself) as ever adept conducting.

The performances in this production are as good as can be. The one who impressed me most was Susan Patterson, whose voice and technique are astonishing in their beauty and flexibility and her overall performance is really quite poignant. Monica Bacelli's voice is rich yet a little more even than it would become later, while she sinks her teeth into her role without overdoing it too much. Robert Gambill, well before his Wagnerian days, is an ideal Rossinian tenor, handsome and instantly appealing with a pleasing tone and the runs and high notes come effortlessly to him, or so it seems. Natale De Carolis' role is much broader, which he characterises with great gusto, comic timing and relish. Rossini stalwart Alessandro Corbelli as you'd expect gives his usual performance that you would find difficult to fault.

In conclusion, underrated Rossini done justice in this gem. 10/10 Bethany Cox