La Gioconda, Salzburg Easter Festival, review: Anna Netrebko is past her best, but Pappano thrills

Hampered by a stately pace and knotty plot, Ponchielli’s La Gioconda needs a lot of help before its finer qualities can surface. Without a clutch of golden-throated singers and a conductor who can sustain dramatic tension through four substantial acts – left alone a director who can untangle the intrigue and motivation of its characters – a very grand opera risks sinking under the weight of its own pretensions.