Rossini: Il turco in Italia (Opernhaus Zurich)

When a wealthy Turkish aristocrat arrives in a humble Italian town, the married women roll their eyes in delight, their rival lovers lose out, and the husbands rage with jealousy. These may be silly clichés, but they are the subject of IL TURCO IN ITALIA and the composer plays with them – quite deliberately. He knows that he is putting archetypes of Italian comedy on stage with figures such as the exotic lady-killer Selim, the young woman Fiorilla, who is chained to the stove at home, but adventurous, and her husband Geronio, who is ridiculous because he is much too old – and relishes the ironic exaggeration. Franz Welser-Most conducts the Zurich Opera House Chorus and Orchestra in this performance of Rossini's opera buffa.

Cast

Ruggero Raimondi

Selim

Cecilia Bartoli

Donna Fiorilla

Oliver Widmer

Poeta Prosdocimo

Paolo Rumetz

Don Geronio

Reinaldo Macias

Don Narciso

Judith Schmid

Zaida

Valery Tsarev

Albazar