Music

This opera singer still sounds amazing at 70

Watch Mariella Devia raise the roof at her Naples concert.
Italian soprano Mariella Devia retired from staged opera in May 2018. (Supplied by the artist)

On Feb. 12, Italian soprano Mariella Devia, 70, gave a concert with the Orchestra of Teatro di San Carlo in Naples under Pietro Rizzi, proving her voice is still in excellent shape. She sang a challenging program of arias by Donizetti, Verdi, Bizet and Gounod.

It was an impressive display of longevity for the singer who, in May 2018, announced that she would retire from staged opera with a run of Bellini's Norma at Venice's Teatro La Fenice.

Fortunately for her many fans, the legendary singer is still giving recitals like this one in Naples. Watch her sing "Je veux vivre" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette and wait for the applause that greets the final note.