Rossini: L'italiana in Algeri, Opera House Budapest, 3 October

classical

Rossini: L'italiana in Algeri, Opera House Budapest, 3 October
Opera in two acts, in Italian, with Hungarian, English, and Italian subtitles.
After Il barbiere di Siviglia and La Cenerentola, Rossini's third most frequently performed opera is L'italiana in Algeri.

This titillating tale belongs to the ranks of “rescue operas” - a favourite genre of the era that usually stipulated having a beautiful young woman being captured and awaiting torture or death until her heroic beloved arrives on the scene to rescue her.

In this case, a resourceful Italian lass is kidnapped by an Algerian bey yearning for a new wife, and outwits him herself – to everyone else's great satisfaction. The title character, Isabella, is one of the wittiest and most wonderful female characters in the entire operatic literature.
Place: Opera House Budapest
Address: 1061 Budapest, Andrássy út 22.
  • How does this event make you feel?