The Pesaro Festival’s new offering in 2013 was an off-the-wall production of Rossini’s popular comedy, ‘The Italian Girl in Algiers’, presented as a Swinging Sixties, James Bond adventure, set in the desert oil fields of the North Africa. Davide Livermore’s gag-a-minute, helter-skelter romp followed an alarmingly life-like air-crash, which delivered the ‘Italian girl’ from Rome into the clutches of the local oil baron, Mustafa. All three lead singers (Alex Esposito as Mustafa, the high tenor Yijie Shi as the young lover Lindoro, and Anna Goryachova as the agile-voiced mezzo-soprano of the title role) were met with the audience’s roaring approval of the evening’s entertainment. ‘‘Italian bass Alex Esposito commanded our full attention as Mustafà…a spirited, charismatic actor of inextinguishable theatrical energy.’’ - Opera Today “Davide Livermore’s Rossini stagings are filled with wisdom and wit. Here again, he is sure handed.’’ - Seen and Heard International