Opera on Screen | The Italian Girl in Algiers (L'Italiana in Algeri) – A Carnival of Colors
Screened opera performance: Rossini’s comedy The Italian Girl in Algiers, produced by the Salzburg Festival, featuring Cecilia Bartoli and Ildar Abdrazakov. At the Center Stage, Ganei Tikva.
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L'Italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers) – A Carnival of Colors
By: Gioachino Rossini
Opera House: Salzburg Festival
The artistic vision: The director duo Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier take Rossini’s comedy and give it a thorough shake-up.
Instead of a traditional Eastern palace, the story takes place in a modern, chaotic Algiers, filled with slapstick humor, vivid colors, and winks to pop culture.
This is a production that “redefines comedy in opera,” with a dizzying pace and a stage that never rests for a moment.
The stars: Cecilia Bartoli, the legendary mezzo-soprano and director of the Salzburg Festival (Whitsun), in the role of Isabella. Bartoli is known for her comic acting abilities and breathtaking virtuosic singing (coloratura).
Alongside her is the Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov, in the entertaining role of Mustafà.
Why see it? Because of the incredible chemistry between Bartoli and Abdrazakov—and because it is impossible to stop smiling (and sometimes laughing out loud) for two and a half hours.
Photo: aria
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