Franco Zeffirelli, one of Italy’s most revered artistic figures, has died at the age of 96. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Zeffirelli was staggeringly prolific and equally celebrated as a director of films, theatre and opera. In the mid-1950s, Zeffirelli directed Callas for the first time, at her request, in Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia. These led to the Old Vic asking him to stage Romeo and Juliet with a similarly realistic Italian setting. Zeffirelli grew accustomed to stepping from one grandly ambitious project to the next, juggling theatre, TV and opera productions.

Source: The Guardian June 15, 2019 11:37 UTC