Russia
Almost immediately after arriving in St. Petersburg, Drigo was conducting the entire repertory of the Imperial Italian Opera, which at that time performed at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. He impressed the management a great deal, conducting such works as Verdi's Aida and Un ballo in maschera from memory. It was custom in Imperial Russia for all theatrical performances to be reported in detail in the newspapers, and Drigo's performances were always reported with praise — " ... the young gentleman will stay here a long time ..." commented one columnist after attending an opera which Drigo conducted.
By 1879 Drigo's contracts had been renewed for seven consecutive one-year terms, allowing him three months out of the year to travel to Padua and to pursue other conducting assignments abroad. At the opera in Seville, Drigo conducted seventeen performances of twelve operas in seventeen days. Upon returning to St. Petersburg the Spanish ambassador to Russia awarded Drigo the Order of Charles III on behalf of the government of Spain in honor of this feat.
In 1884 Drigo conducted the St. Petersburg premiere of Ponchielli's I Lituani, which was presented under the title Aldona. That same year Drigo traveled to Italy at the behest of Giacomo Puccini to conduct the Venetian premiere of his opera Le Villi at the Teatro La Fenice. The great composer was so pleased with Drigo's conducting that he telegraphed his appreciation to Drigo for years to come on the anniversary of the premiere. In 1884 Drigo conducted the inaugural performance at Padua's Teatro Nuovo, which was renamed the Teatro Verdi and renovated by the architect Achille Sfondrini. For the performance, the Mayor of Padua granted Drigo the Order of the cavaliere di Gran Croce. In 1885 Drigo returned to Milan's Teatro dal Verme to conduct the premiere of Ponchielli's Marion Delorme.
Drigo's was held in high regard for his abilities as an accompanist. At La Scala he often accompanied the great violinist Antonio Bazzini during concerts, while in Russia he regularly accompanied touring musicians for recitals at the Imperial Bolshoi Theatre (principal theatre of the Imperial Russian Opera and Ballet until 1886). Drigo was a close friend and colleague of Anton Rubinstein, and the two musicians were known to play piano for many hours into the night.
On 6 March 1884 Drigo presented his second Italian operetta, the comic-opera La Moglie Rapita (The Abducted Wife). The work was well received, but did not last long in the repertory due to the reforms which soon took over the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres.
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