The title means, “The
Turk in Italy”, written by Gioachino Rossini. It was performed for the first time in 1814 in our Bucket
List Opera House, La Scala. From
what I’ve read, the Milanese turned up their noses at it.
For this performance the
costumes and setting is set in the 1950’s. There are a lot of twists and turns as I try to keep track
of who is who. But surprisingly,
no one dies at the end because if is an enjoyable Opera buffa, a comedy.
The first scene takes
place in a gypsy camp where Zaida talks about her escape from Turkey. She is in
love with the Prince Selim, but false rumors about her infidelity forces her to
flee to Italy. Also in the camp is
Don Geronio who wants his fortune told.
He laments about his frivolous wife, Fiorilla.
Selim arrives in Italy
and meets Fiorilla who falls in love with him. Despite the fact that she is a married woman, she invites
Prince Selim to her home where there is a confrontation with Geronio.
There is a costume party
and with masks, where Fiorilla forces Selim to choose between her or
Zaida. At the end, Selim and Zaida
are back together and they sail back to Turkey. Geronio decides to punish Fiorilla by throwing her out of
the house. As she leaves to live
with her parents in shame, Geronio pardons her.
It was a fun opera and
like most operas, we will probably see it again and again. The different singers, costumes and
settings always make it seem new.
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