Franco Zeffirelli was cheered and showered with roses on the opening night of his new production of Verdi's "Aida" at La Scala on Thursday night in Milan, Italy, making his triumphant return after a 14-year absence from the opera house where he first made his mark.
The audience applauded for more than 15 minutes after the final curtain fell, standing to cheer Zeffirelli, conductor Riccardo Chailly and a cast led by mezzo-soprano Violeta Urmana in the title role and tenor Roberto Alagana as Radames.
