Being born in the home of opera buffa has its advantages but, as the
titular hero of The Turk in Italy found, a laugh’s a laugh in any language

I think it was Lyndon Terrancini who heard me in Palermo. I was singing Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’Amore and he asked me to come to Australia and sing here. It’s my first time singing Selim in Il Turco In Italia although I’ve played Don Geronio, the husband, twice before. Selim, the Turk, is easier perhaps than Geronio because I am not like him – certainly not so flamboyant. When a role is very different, it’s easier for me to grasp, because I can forget Paolo and concentrate solely on what the character in the opera is required to do in relation to the other characters. I have to love him as well because the audience must like him too. With Selim, the difficulty is musical – all those long phrases. You must have the agility to use all your vocal range, for example, within five bars as well as high and low notes in quick succession. It’s much more lyrical than the typical buffo with all those rapid words.

This...