L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI GIOACHINO ROSSINI (1792-1868). CECILIA BARTOLI TRAILER. OPERNHAUS ZURICH

Musical director Gianluca Capuano Producer Moshe Leiser, Patrice Caurier Stage design Christian Fenouillat Costumes Agostino Cavalca Lighting designer Christophe Forey Video designer Étienne Guiol Chorus Master Ernst Raffelsberger Dramaturgy Kathrin Brunner, Christian Arseni

Isabella Cecilia Bartoli

Nadezhda Karyazina (25, 31 Mar / 05 Apr)

MustafàIldar Abdrazakov

Pietro Spagnoli (10, 20, 25, 31 Mar / 05 Apr)

LindoroLawrence Brownlee

Levy Sekgapane (15, 17 Mar)

TaddeoNicola Alaimo

HalyIlya Altukhov

ElviraRebeca Olvera

ZulmaSiena Licht Miller

Orchestra La Scintilla

Chor der Oper Zürich

Statistenverein am Opernhaus Zürich

HammerklavierEnrico Maria Cacciari

Abstract

L'italiana in Algeri

«Din din! Crà crà! Bum bum!» It’s all rather Dada when the characters in L’italiana in Algeri are at a loss for words. Rossini’s contemporary Stendhal described this opera as «organized and complete madness». It was also Rossini’s first full-length comedy, which premiered at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice in 1813, and it made him an overnight sensation, triggering Rossini mania all across Europe. The story is fully in the tradition of Romantic Exoticism, in this case the so-called “Turkish opera” trend, that was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and is based on an historical event, the details of which are limited to but one: In 1808, Antonietta Frapolli of Milan freed herself from the harem of the Bey of Algiers. In Rossini’s opera, Mustafà, the Algerian ruler, is no longer tempted by the feminine inhabitants of his harem.

He wants to pair his main wife, Elvira, off with his favorite slave and send her packing to Italy. And he’s planning new sexual adventures for himself, preferably in the form of a fiery Italian woman. Lo and behold, she appears: there on the horizon, a ship approaches, with his desired prey on board. Her name is Isabella, and she’s looking for Lindoro, her lost lover – who also happens to be Mustafà’s favorite slave. Once captured, Isabella knows how to use Mustafà’s infatuation to her advantage. As the saying goes, «He that makes himself a sheep, shall be eaten by the wolf.» Impressed by Isabella’s resolute nature, macho Mustafà suddenly discovers the sweet pleasure of masculine self-sacrifice and submission. By the time the curtain falls, he’s transformed into «Pappataci»: a husband who sees nothing, and is content to eat and stay silent. Isabella and Lindoro can happily hoist their sails…

This production of L'italiana in Algeri was successfully premiered at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival in 2018. The directing duo of Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier, who are known for their meticulous character direction and cleverly comic interpretations, set the opera in contemporary Algiers, turning it into a turbulent multicultural comedy. And with Cecilia Bartoli (Nadezhda Karyazina on March 25, 31 and April 5) as Isabella, it’s guaranteed to be a delight. At her side are Laurence Brownlee as Lindoro and Ildar Abdrazakov as well as Pietro Spagnoli as Mustafà, two outstanding Rossini interpreters. Conductor Gianluca Capuano and the Orchestra La Scintilla promise a sparkling authentic realization of this enduring comedy.

https://www.opernhaus.ch/en/spielplan/calendar/litaliana-in-algeri/2021-2022/