L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI Dramma giocoso in due atti Libretto: Angelo Anelli Mustafà, Bey vom Algir - Simone Alaimo Elvira, Mustafàs Ehfrau - Jeannette Fischer Zulma, Sklavin, Vertraute der Elvira - Maria José Trullu Haly, Kapitän der Garde / Piraten - Anthony Smith Lindoro, Mustafas (italienischer) Lieblingssklave - Bruce Ford Isabella, Italienerin, Geliebte des Lindoro - Jennifer Larmore Taddeo, Isabellas Begleiter - Alessandro Corbelli L'Orchestre et Choeur de l'Opéra National de Paris BRUNO CAMPANELLA Regie: Andrei Serban Bühnenbild/Kostüme: Marina Draghici Choreographie: Nikolaus Wolcz Aufnahme live Opéra national de Paris – Palais Garnier, April 1998 ***** 1 DVDs  -  TDK  -  DVWW-OPITAL   -  April 2007 ***** Nach dem Barbiere di Siviglia im vorigen Jahr (2002 mit Joyce DiDonato und Roberto Saccà ebenfalls in der Opéra national de Paris aufgezeichnet; Regie: Coline Serreau, Dir: Bruno Campanella) bringt TDK in 2007 eine weitere Rossini-Inszenierung aus der Pariser Nationaloper. Wiederum eine Buffa, ist diesmal die Wahl des Doppelgespanns Campanelle/Serreau auf die Italienerin in Algier - L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI - gefallen und wiederum ist Ihnen damit eine bleibende Inszenierung und ein voller Seh- und Hörspaß und -genuss gelungen. Besonderes Merkmal der schon von ihrer Anlage sehr orientalischen Oper sind ihre exorbitante Farbenpracht sowie die Übertreibung der Größe. Das fängt mit dem Schiff an, das den Untergang des schiffbrüchigen Lindoro im Bühnenhintergrund nachzeichnet. Nachdem kurz ein kleines Modell- oder Spielschiffchen über die Bühne getragen wird, ist es per Filmeinspielung ein übergroßer Luxusdampfer, der dann, untergehend, auf die Bühnenwand projiziert wird, und zieht sich dann durch die gesamte Oper. Nicht nur überzeugend, sondern geradezu grandios lässt Jennifer Larmore in der Titelrolle ihrer Weiblichkeit Muskeln spielen und wickelt den eigentlich Furcht einflößenden Bey von Algier mehr und mehr um ihren Finger. Unter ihrer Anleitung und Belehrung kommt auch die so schon, am Anfang der Oper, nicht  gerade mauerblümliche Elvira, bisherige Ehefrau des Bey, der, jener überdrüssig geworden, sich von ihr trennen will und entscheidet, sie dem zu seinen Lieblingssklaven aufgestiegenen Lidoro zu vermachen, immer mehr aus sich raus und muss am Ende der Bey froh sein, wenn sich die einst Verstoßene noch seiner erbarmt. Ein Lob der Weiblichkeit, eine Schule der weiblichen Verführungskunst und der diesbezüglichen Dämlichkeit und Anfälligkeit der Herren (in Person des Bey) - das alles ist diese Oper und das wird in dieser Aufführung beeindruckend in Szene gesetzt. Darüber hinaus bringen neben der Larmore in der Titelrolle vor allem die schon erwähnte Sopranistin Jeanette Fischer wie auch Tenor Bruce Ford in der Rolle des Isabella-Geliebten Lindoro musikalisch hervorragende Leistungen. Insofern: eine vollends gelungene Aufzeichnung, sowohl musikalisch wie inszenatorisch. Eine uneingeschränkte Empfehlung!!! vgl. auch die inszenatorisch ebenso, aber soundtechnisch weniger überzeugende Einspielung von den Schwetzinger Festpielen als Gastspiel der Züricher Oper aus dem Jahre 1987.  Dirk Carius *** Weitere Infos - Courtesy of TDK *** DIE DVD A co-production between Telmondis, Opéra national de Paris, France 2, NHK, UDA with the participation of Mezzo, Telepiù-Classica, Unitel, VTHR and the support of the Centre National de la Cinématographie. Directed for TV and Video by André Flédérick. Licensed worldwide by Europe Images International. Recording Date/Place: live at the Opéra national de Paris – Palais Garnier, April 1998 Release Date: April 2006 Booklet Languages: English/ German/ French Subtitles: English/ German/ French/ Spanish/ Italian Bild: 16:9 anamorph NTSC Audio Format: DD 5.1 • LPCM Stereo Disc Format: 1 DVD 9 Total Time: 148 minutes The Composer and the Work: Gioacchino Rossini was born in Pesaro on February 29th 1792 and died in Passy near Paris on November 13th 1868. The son of musicians (his father played the horn and his mother sang in travelling opera companies), Rossini himself studied singing and harmony in Bologna under the iron rod of Mattei. When he was eighteen, his first opera buffa, La cambiale di matrimonio, was performed in Venice. It was soon followed by other works in the same genre (L’Inganno felice, L’occasione fa il ladro, etc.). In 1813 the creation of Tancredi in Venice opened wide the doors of success, making him the uncontested master of the Italian operatic stage for many years to come. Works followed one another at breakneck speed: Il barbiere di Siviglia and Otello in 1816, La Cenerentola and Armida in 1817, La donna del lago in 1819, Maometto II in 1821 and Semiramide in 1823 to name a few. In 1824 he settled in Paris. It was here that he wrote his last opera, Guillaume Tell (1829), and lived until his death, continuing to influence Parisian musical life and devoting himself to certain passions such as cuisine (we have him to thank for the famous “tournedos” recipe). Rossini was asked to write a piece to fill up a gap in the schedule at the Teatro San Benedetto left by another composer’s failure to deliver, and given the time available (certainly less than a month), shortcuts were inevitably taken. First of all, it was decided to recycle, with some revisions, the libretto of an existing opera, Luigi Mosca’s L’italiana in Algeri of 1808, and not only were the recitatives outsourced, but at least one, if not two of the arias were as well: Haly’s “Le femmine d’Italia” and, more significantly, Lindoro’s second-act solo “Oh, come il cor di giubilo”. But the pay-off was that Rossini, relieved of these responsibilities, came up with a score of such wit and fresh inspiration that the second-hand plot was taken to a new level of irresistible humour and show-stopping silliness. The first performance was given on Saturday 22 May 1813, and a review that came out on the Monday talked of the “almost constant wild, general applause” that greeted the soloists.     Synopsis of the Opera: At the start of the opera, Mustafà, the domineering Bey of Algiers, has tired of his wife Elvira, and decided to marry her off to his Italian slave, Lindoro. Equally bored with the other women in his harem, Mustafà orders Haly, captain of the Algerian pirates, to find him an Italian girl instead. Lindoro is lost in thoughts of the girl he has left behind in Italy, when Mustafà springs his surprise on him, and Lindoro attempts to put the Bey off with a host of conditions for the sort of wife he would prefer. In the meantime, Haly and the pirates have done their job and captured some Italians from a sinking ship, including Isabella and her companion Taddeo. Isabella, who set sail in search of her lost love, Lindoro, pulls herself together, and while Haly sees her as a perfect catch for Mustafà, she is confident in her ability to get the best out of any situation. Two shocks await her at Mustafà’s court: first the absurd behaviour of the Bey himself, and second the discovery there of Lindoro, seemingly trapped into marriage. On discovering Mustafà’s intentions, she insists that he must stay with Elvira, while she has Lindoro as her slave. Mustafà’s infatuation with Isabella is amusing his entourage, and while he has a message sent to her that he will be visiting her room for coffee, she is busy with Lindoro, planning their escape together. Mustafà honours Taddeo, who for the sake of propriety has claimed to be Isabella’s uncle, with promotion to the nonsensical post of Grand Kaimakan. After Isabella has both upbraided Elvira for her subservience to her husband and thwarted Mustafà’s attempts to be alone with her, Taddeo and Lindoro together return the compliment by promising to appoint the Bey Isabella’s “Pappataci”, in effect a compliant husband. Isabella rouses all the captive Italians to fight for freedom, and Mustafà, plied with food and drink is inducted into the order of Pappataci. He continues to carry out his duty of eating and saying nothing as the Italians prepare to leave, but finally understanding the betrayal, is reconciled with his wife.     The Artists: Jennifer Larmore is an American mezzo-soprano known for excelling in the coloratura roles of the baroque and bel canto, and she has earned the distinction of being the most recorded mezzo-soprano of all time. Following her European debut in 1986, she performed leading roles on opera stages in Paris, Vienna, Prague, London, Rome, Berlin, Madrid, Lisbon, Brussels, Geneva, Amsterdam, Milan, Tokyo, Melbourne, Seoul, Buenos Aires, and Salzburg. In 1994, Larmore returned to the United States in a triumphant Carnegie Hall appearance. This success was followed by being chosen to receive the coveted Richard Tucker Award, and the subsequent debut at the Metropolitan Opera in her signature role as “Rosina” in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Since then, she has been a regular attraction at the Met, singing a wide range of roles from Handel’s Giulio Cesare to the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy. Jennifer Larmore was selected to close the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with her rendition of the “Olympic Hymn”; and, in 2002, she was knighted by the French government, attaining the title “Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres” in recognition of her contribution to the world of music. American tenor Bruce Ford is an acknowledged singer of Mozart and bel canto roles, which have brought him consistent acclaim throughout North America and Europe. He has performed at numerous major opera houses such as La Scala, Milan, Bologna, Naples, Genoa, Florence, Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich and Geneva. He is also a favourite at the Royal Opera House/Covent Garden, the Paris Opera, and the Salzburg, Edinburgh, Glyndebourne, and Pesaro festivals. In America he has won praise at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera and San Francisco Opera. He is also a celebrated concert artist, and has documented much of his repertoire in a constantly expanding discography.   Simone Alaimo studied in Palermo and then joined the vocal academy at La Scala in Milan, where he made his debut in a production of Soliva’s La testa di bronzo in 1980. In the same year he won the Maria Callas Competition. Since then he has been invited to sing in all the major European and American opera houses. He is highly appreciated in the Mozart and Rossini repertoires, and in Il matrimonio segreto by Cimarosa, Zaira by Bellini, Maria di Rohan by Donizetti, and La Serva padrona by Pergolesi. The bass-baritone gave his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1987 and he regularly appears at the Royal Opera House in London, San Francisco Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Vienna State Opera, Munich Opera, Dresden Opera, La Scala, Rome, and many Italian houses.   Alessandro Corbelli is currently one of the most prominent interpreters of the Rossini and Mozart repertoire. The Italian baritone made his debut in Aosta as Monterone in Rigoletto in 1973. He has since performed in all of the major opera houses in the world, as well as the major opera festivals. He has been seen at La Scala in the three Mozart/Da Ponte operas under Riccardo Muti, as well as in Le Comte Ory, Lo frate innamorato, and Fedora. Besides his frequent appearances at La Scala, he sings regularly in Bologna, Verona, Turin, Naples, Florence, Geneva, Vienna, Paris, Cologne, Munich, Lisbon and London. Alessandro Corbelli also sings throughout the United States.   Bruno Campanella enjoys a career in the most important international opera theatres. His breakthrough came in 1987 when he collaborated with stage director Pier Luigi Pizzi on a production of Nino Rota’s Il cappello di paglia di Firenze, which was presented at the First Festival of Paris. Bruno Campanella was Musical Director of the Orchestra of the Teatro Regio di Torino from January 1992 to June 1995. He receives regular invitations from major international opera houses such as the Opéra National de Paris, the Vienna State Opera, the Teatro alla Scala and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.   ZUSATZINFORMATIONEN / HÖRPROBEN Links zur Oper Zusammenfassung des Geschehens Libretto in Italienisch   Links zu Rossini - Leben (Deutsche Rossini Gesellschaft) - Werk - Leben und Werk (wikipedia) Die Rossini-Minireihe von EuroArts 2006 - Der Heiratswechsel (La cambiale di matrimonio) (1810) + die Besprechung hier in der Gaystation - Die seidene Leiter (La scala di seta) (1812) + die Besprechung hier in der Gaystation - Signor Bruschino oder Der im Glücksspiel gewonnene Sohn (Il Signor Bruschino, ossia Il figlio per azzardo) (1813) + Besprechung hier in der Gaystation

1 DVD TDK DVWW-OPITAL   April 2007   Interpretation         ausgezeichnet Klang:         ausgezeichnet Inszenierung:         ausgezeichnet