On the town: Italians saluted Wexford as a unique location in the world of opera this week. All roads will lead to Wexford this October. Andiamo! Great operatic productions will be staged at this year's Wexford Festival Opera.
"It's probably the one place in the world which still has a mission in opera," said Luigi Ferrari, who steps down as artistic director of the festival later this year. "I was lucky in Wexford because this festival is unique not only for audiences but also for artistic directors." The festival gave him the chance to choose forgotten operas and "then have audiences come and enjoy them. It doesn't happen in any other opera house in the world. It's one of the dream jobs".
This year's opening opera is La Vestale, a rarely performed opera by Italian composer Saverio Mercadante. Ferrari believes this will be the audience's favourite at the festival, Mercadante being "one of the favourite Italian composers".
As well as La Vestale, the programme, which was launched by Olive Braiden, chair of the Arts Council, includes two other large productions - Eva, by Josef Bohuslav Foerster, and Prinzessin Brambilla, by Walter Braunfels - as well as more than 40 other events, including opera scenes from Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims, Leoncavallo's Pagliacci and Ravel's L'Heure Espagnole.
The Italian tenor, Ugo Benelli, recalled his many visits to Wexford.
"I am the only artist who has worked with all the artistic directors in Wexford. I started with Tom Walsh in 1965," he said.
Then he stood beside fellow countryman Ferrari for a photograph, both raising their glasses in celebratory mood. Salute!
Also at the lunch in the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin, to hear about this year's festival was Mayor of Wexford Dominic Kiernan, with his friend, retired businessman Sam Deacon. Kiernan recalled soprano Allessandra Marc three years ago. He went to hear her sing three times.
"She had the most fantastic voice," he said.
Gay Byrne and Kathleen Watkins, who are regular visitors to the festival, are expecting a busy autumn, when they will both celebrate their 70th birthdays and when their daughter, Crona Byrne, will get married in Spiddal to Co Limerick man Phil Carney. Others at the launch included Tom Kitt TD, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs; Mary Banotti MEP; Clive Brownlee, assistant managing director of Diageo UDV Ireland, which is the festival's principal sponsor; and Ernst Balzli of the Swiss embassy.
Jerome Hynes, the festival's chief executive, was delighted that the world's leading classical music label, Naxos Marco Polo, is to release last year's three main opera productions on CD this September, and that the President, Mrs McAleese, is to become the festival's patron.