 He made his only stage appearance at La Scala in 1992 as Giacomo in "La donna del lago".It was La Scala's first production of the opera in 150 years and was staged to mark the bicentenary of Rossini's birth.Although several critics have expressed reservations about the intrinsic slightly harsh timbre of his voice, his two-and-a-half octave range and mastery of florid vocal technique and coloratura have made him a successful interpreter not only of Rossini's tenore contraltino roles (in whose recent revival he has been a chief protagonist), but also of operas by Mozart, Donizetti, Bellini and Handel.