2020-2021
Duration
02H40
New production
For the first time at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège !
In the 18th century in Naples, the poet Prosdocimo finds the idea for his new play from a group of bohemians… the amazing amorous tales of the young Turkish slave, Zaida, unrequitedly in love with the pasha Selim, and an Italian couple going off the rails, Fiorilla and Geronio. The result is a back-and-forth riddled with thousands of hilarious about turns and unforeseen developments.
Il Turco in Italia (1814), the last of the “Turkish trilogy” following La Pietra del Paragone (1812) and especially L’Italiana in Algeri (1813), was subjected to attacks from spectators, believing they were seeing a parody of the previous works, from its very first performance. This could not be further from the truth!
The new work was entirely original, even if the “Rossini Crescendo”, the frivolity and extreme virtuosity were, to our utmost delight, still very much present. The libretto written by Romani, who soon went on to become a librettist for Bellini, boasts amazing theatrical and psychological subtlety.
The musical score offers moments of unparalleled virtuosity to the beautiful and flighty Fiorilla. Among the most popular arias are Fiorilla’s exceptional libertine cavatina, “Non si da follia maggiore” made famous by Maria Callas, and the dazzling scene with the chorus “Squallida Vesta” which reinforced the nickname given to the composer of Signor Crescendo!
At the age of 22 years, Rossini displayed outstanding maturity and demonstrated his passion for a certain Mozart, with some passages of Così fan tutte, very much in vogue in Milan, heavily alluded to.
All the opera performances are preceded by a practical introduction to the work that is open to all (as a curtain raiser).