La forza del destino
In March 1999, he debuted at La Scala under Riccardo Muti in "La forza del destino" as Alvaro, then sang in "Tosca" and "Madama Butterfly" at the Arena di Verona in June and July, then "Tosca" at La Scala in March 2000, again with Muti. The performance was recorded and released on Sony Classical. In May he debuted in Madrid in "La forza del destino", and in Verona, he was awarded the Premio Zenatello as tenor of the year, and sang in "La forza del destino" at the Arena in July. In September he traveled to Japan with the La Scala ensemble for performances of "Forza". Milan honoured him with the Honorary Citizenship Medal, and Sony offered him an exclusive recording contract.