For Luca Salsi, there is no composer better than Verdi. No one. Salsi, the Italian baritone, who is slated to sing the role of Amonasro at the Salzburg Festival starting in early August, has repeatedly professed that no composer in the history of Italian opera was able to fuse music and text with the same level of conviction and depth.

And while he supports his opinions quite prominently, Salsi admitted in an interview with OperaWire that his love for the Maestro of Busetto was greatly influenced from his youth.