Giancarlo Menotti, who was a prominent opera composer in Italy largely due to the "Festival dei Due Mondi" in Spoleto - a showcase for his works that, while met with perplexity from critics, found favor with audiences over five decades - continues to suffer from an undeserved criticai neglect. This oversight remains inadequately addressed by a handful of good interviews, two or three biographies, and a few U.S. doctoral dissertations that are almost invariably lacking in specificity. Straight to the Heart seeks to fili this gap, offering a measured reflection on the dramaturgical choices in the opera that Menotti revered as his true "opus one" (I. Conserva) and a meticulous analysis of his musical design. Without this analytical rigor, critical assessments risk falling into the void (M. Grondona). The work thus proposes a fresh and objective reevaluation of Menotti.