Thank goodness, literally, for Vittorio Grigolo. Almost single-voicedly, the lively Italian tenor brought distinction to an otherwise drab L'elisir d'amore on Thursday.

The Met, not incidentally, yawned with empty seats. That seems to be the norm these days. Still, the sparse crowd went wild after Grigolo glorified the opera's greatest hit, "Una furtiva lagrima". For a long stretch the prospect of a rare encore loomed, yet our hero eventually extinguished that flame himself. Modesty triumphed over ego.

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Source: http://www.ft.com/