By Andrew Clark [Financial Times, 9 November 2005]

An ill-fated star hung over this event, the latest in a line of bel canto revivals promoted by Patric Schmid of Opera Rara. Just before it started Schmid collapsed and died backstage. The show went on and presumably the recording will too, but Opera Rara has lost the driving force behind its 35-year run. Schmid was not just an enthusiast; he was a connoisseur with a way of making things work.