Performers rehearse for the new production of La Gioconda, which will be staged at the NCPA in Beijing Jan 27-31.[Photo by Jiang Dong/ China Daily]

"I spent a lot of time reading the script and thinking about each character. The conflict in the story and the leading character's personality, which leads to her death, is intriguing," he says.

Compared with other famous opera productions, Pizzi says that La Gioconda is rarely staged because of the demanding nature of the acting, dancing and singing performances.

Russian soprano Elena Popovskaya and Chinese soprano Sun Xiuwei play the leading role, Gioconda, on different nights, while Italian tenor Andrea Care and Chinese tenor Chi Liming perform the role of Enzo.

"I am impressed by the performances of the actors, especially the chorus. They are fully prepared," he says.

"It's apparent that China is developing its own opera productions very fast."

Born in Milan, Italy, Pizzi earned a degree in architecture at the Politecnico of Milan. He loved going to the theater when he was a child, but his father was against the idea of his working in theater because "he didn't think that working in theater was a serious job as being an architect", says Pizzi.

At 20, he left home and started working in theater with the late Italian opera and theater director Giorgio Strehler by sketching sets and costumes. His debut as an opera director came in 1977 with Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Teatro Regio in Turin.

During the past few decades, he has worked with the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro producing Rossini's operatic works.

Recalling his journey in theater, Pizzi says that he made his own decisions by following his destiny.

"Luckily, my fate led me to theater, which I love the most," he says.

If you go

7:30 pm, Jan 29 to 31. National Center for the Performing Arts, No 2 West of Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.