L'italiana in Algeri (1986)
L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli. Rossini composed L'italiana in Algeri when he was 21 in either 18 or 27 days, depending on which source one believes (Rossini, not surprisingly, pegged it at 18). It premiered at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice on 22 May 1813. The music is characteristic of Rossini's style, remarkable for its fusion of sustained, manic energy with elegant, pristine melodies. The plot, in brief: Isabella’s lover Lindoro has been kidnapped, and in her search for him she is shipwrecked and taken captive by Mustafa, Bey of Algiers. To her amazement and delight, she finds Lindoro among the Bey’s prisoners. Isabella hatches a plot that involves flirtation and stealth, and together she and Lindoro escape. Marilyn Horne, Pablo Montarsolo, Douglas Ahistedt, and Allan Monk star in this legendary Metropolitan Opera production conducted by James Levine.
Directors: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Brian Large.
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Marilyn Horne as Isabella |
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Paolo Montarsolo as Mustafà |
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Douglas Ahlstedt as Lindoro |
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Allan Monk as Taddeo |
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Myra Merritt as Elvira |
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Diane Kesling as Zulma |
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Spiro Malas as Haly |
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MET Orchestra as Orchestra |
| Sound | James Levine | Music Director |
| Directing | Jean-Pierre Ponnelle | Director |
| Lighting | Gil Wechsler | Lighting Director |
| Directing | Brian Large | Director |
| Writing | Angelo Anelli | Writer |
| Art | Jean-Pierre Ponnelle | Production Design |
| Sound | Gioachino Rossini | Original Music Composer |
