Soprano Renata Scotto dies aged 89

Tenor Placido Domingo with soprano Renata Scotto prior to their opening night performance of Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on September 22 1981 (Elizabeth Richter/AP)

Renata Scotto, a soprano of uncommon intensity who became a successful director after her singing career, has died in her home town of Savona, Italy, aged 89.

Scotto’s New York-based manager, Robert Lombardo, said he was called by her family and informed of her death.