Il Turco in Italia is one of Rossini‘s wittiest but most neglected works. It is full of ingenious and freshly composed invention. It is Rossini‘s first collaboration with Felice Romani - Bellini‘s librettist - on this opera and Romani understood perfectly Rossini‘s love of pastiche and parody. He provided a commedia dell‘ arte scenario that gave Rossini plenty of opportunity to mock traditions he had helped to cultivate in the first place. The plot is delightfully salcious and among the many jewels in the score, the duet for Geronio and Selim, in which the Turk tries to persuade the ageing husband to sell his wife to him, is widely considered one of the composer‘s masterpieces.

Cast

Simone Alaimo

Selim

Myrtò Papatanasiu

Donna Fiorilla

Bruno de Simone

Don Geronio

Antonino Siragusa

Don Narciso

Vincenzo Taormina

Prosdocimo

Antonella Nappa

Zaida

Frederico Lepre

Albazar