Donizetti’s rarely-performed Poliuto, based on a play by the great French dramatist Corneille, opened La Scala’s season in 1960 and marked Callas’s return to the iconic Milanese theatre after an absence of two seasons. The opera is set in Armenia at the time of the Roman Empire and Callas sings the role of Paolina, torn between loyalty to her husband Severo and love for Poliuto, a Christian convert. The principal male roles are taken by two Italian singers who are worthy partners for Callas: the magnificent baritone Ettore Bastianini and Franco Corelli, considered by many to be the greatest Italian tenor of his time.