In an article in the Corriere of 11 March 2001 entitled 'Mehta: «Con le star della lirica un viaggio nella vita di Verdi»', Valerio Cappelli reporting on a pre-Gala press conference wrote that the Gala will be re-broadcast in Italy on RAI 2 although cut to an hour and a half (presumably to eliminate the applause and intervals). It will also be released on DVD and video, but not on CD. The artistic director of the Verdi Fesitival, Bruno Cagli, noted that "TV doesn't really support whole operas." And later in the article Cappelli added: "The idea of a gala with opera stars weaving together one aria after the next right up to the final high note of the evening is something which has always divided the opera world. Those who like galas applaud their festive character and the return of a popular dimension to opera. Those who don't, think of them as a kind of hedonism that fractures, pulverizes and extracts interrupting the mystical emotion of an opera presented in its entirety. They think of them as carnivals, or circus acts."

There were also quotes from some of the key participants in the Gala. This would be the first time ever that Domingo was to sing in Parma, and he noted that for the Gala "There will be an international audience, not the dangerous public of the Regio di Parma. We are all happy to participate. I would have liked to sing in a whole opera, but this is my first contact with the city. With Mehta, Carreras and Raimondi, we are the 'old guard'. But as the years pass one becomes younger because youth accumulates." This is very similar to Domingo's remarks at his 60th Birthday Gala at the Met ""I'm not afraid to be 60. When the years pass, you really are younger. ... You have accumulated youth! I feel young in my soul and spirit."

When asked if he and Domingo would feel like orphans without Pavarotti (who would not be participating in the Gala), Carreras responded: "We miss Luciano and it's a pity that he can't be here, but we're not orphans. The cast is extraordinary. And from Leo Nucci: "If we look around at all the theatre billboards. 80 per cent of them are devoted to Verdi. It's a continuing challenge, and a challenge of love"

The Gala program had originally included a scene from Ernani with Domingo, but this was dropped from the final program and Domingo's scene from Act IV of Otello was expanded to include almost the entire act. Cappelli pointed out that Otello is not as performed all that often because of the current dearth of 'heroic tenor' voices that the title role requires, Otello was also one of the signature roles of the great Italian tenor, Mario Del Monaco, whose son Giancarlo Del Monaco is a well-known opera director and is the director of the Gala. He has worked mostly outside Italy because according to Giancarlo the Italian opera world "is crippled by prejudices" and one Del Monaco seemed to be enough. When asked what the director of a Gala does, he replied: " It's not a very complicated job, it involves conveying an atmosphere"

According to Alfredo Gasponi writing in Il Messaggero on the day before the Gala in an article entitled 'Parata di stelle per Verdi superstar' ('Parade of stars for the super-star Verdi') , this atmosphere would be conveyed by alternating the opera scenes with readings by the singers on Verdi's life and works and their rapport with the Maestro's music. There would also be images displayed on the giant TV screens showing the opera houses and cities where each of the operas was premiered, drawings of costumes and paintings and drawings of Verdi. The opera extracts would be presented in chronological order. In sum, "a synthesis of the personal and artistic journey of the Maestro"

Meanwhile the preparations for the Gala dinner continued apace. Here is the menu as reported in the Gazetta di Parma, of 7 March on an article entitled 'Cena di gala in occasione del "Verdi Live"'...

• aperitifs served at the table
• a "refined buffet" with choice of all the most prized Parma delicacies: prosciutto crudo di Parma, salame gentile di Felino, strolghino della Bassa parmense, shavings of Parmesan chees with balsamic vinegar from Modena
• risotto alla parmigiana and cappelletti 'verdiani' flavored with truffles cooked shoulder of beef with mostarda di Cremona (a kind of sweet-sour fruit relish)
• fricassee of duck with potatoes fondenti (i.e. cooked until they melt in your mouth) a "rich" dessert buffet
• The wines: Ventian pinot grigio «Vivolo», Muller Thurgau Santa Margherita, Gutturnio doc dei colli Piacentini Casanova, Terre verdiane Ceci e moscato dolce Lamoretti.

As the article described it... "felice connubio fra il bel canto e la buona tavola" ("a happy marriage between beautiful singing and a fine table" Which for me, sums up Parma's main pleasures. The cost of the dinner was 150,000 lire (about $75) per person - quite a bargain. But it was free of course for the guests of honor, the singers, orchestra, and chorus.

Reporting in the Corriere on 12 March, in an article entitled, "Prima di Raggiungere il podio...", Valerio Cappelli added a bit more data about the feast:

• 800 guests
• 18 chefs
• 80 waiters
• 4000 glasses

And he praised the City of Parma for "the sumptuous alimentary libations". As you can see, the Italians take their food very seriously, and the descriptions tend towards the highly poetic. Of course, Cappelli had even more praise for the Gala itself. More from him in Digest 3.