- He specialized in the Italian bel canto repertoire, but also had great success conducting works by Donizetti, Bizet, Mozart, Rossini, Mascagni, Leoncavallo and Puccini.
- He started out as a pianist. He developed opera conducting skills by serving as an assistant to some of the 20th century's greatest conductors, including Karl Böhm, Carlos Kleiber, and Claudio Abbado.
- He made his conducting debut in Florence, Italy, in 1973, and his Metropolitan Opera (NY) debut in 1984.
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