The La Scala opera house in Milan paid tribute to legendary Australian opera singer Joan Sutherland, saying she had imbued Italian “bel canto” opera with a new force in the early 1960s. La Scala said in a statement that she had been the queen of bel canto – the main vocal style used in opera in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

“This is how La Scala remembers Joan Sutherland: Not just a master virtuoso, but an obligatory example for all those who have sung Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti after her,” La Scala said.

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