Minnesota Opera's The Italian Girl in Algiers Program by Minnesota Opera

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Contents The Minnesota Opera Staff and Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Notes from the Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Italian Girl in Algiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Background Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Gioachino Rossini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Artists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The Minnesota Opera Chorus and Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2007-2008 Gala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Education at the Opera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Out at The Opera Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Young Professionals Group Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 2007-2008 Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Opera at the Ordway Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 The Minnesota Opera Annual Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

The Minnesota Opera President & CEO Artistic Director Chair, Board of Directors

Kevin Smith Dale Johnson Jane M. Confer

The Minnesota Opera, 620 North First Street Minneapolis, MN 55401 (612) 333-2700 www.mnopera.org The Minnesota Opera is a member of OPERA America. This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature. This project is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

November 2007

The Minnesota Opera Program

Corporate Administrator/Publisher Assoc. Publisher/Director of Production Account Executives Creative Designer Graphic Designers

Todd Hyde Marsha Kitchel Liesl Hyde, Amy Newton Stacy Harwood Sue Sentyrz Klapmeier, Robert Ochsner

Large-print and Braille programs are available at the Patron Services Office

| THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS

is published by

MINNESOTA OPERA

Staff

President & CEO Kevin Smith Artistic Director Dale Johnson Welcome to today’s production of The Italian Girl in Algiers. For more than four decades, The Minnesota Opera has enriched the cultural life of our community by producing outstanding and innovative operas that inspire and entertain. U.S. Bank is honored to sponsor the 2007 – 2008 season. We are proud of our 20+ year relationship with The Minnesota Opera and the spectacular Ordway Center in St. Paul. At U.S. Bank, we support great dreams, great art and great arts organizations. They enrich the community with vibrancy, creativity and excellence. As the sixth largest bank in America today, U.S. Bank is the only major bank headquartered in Minnesota, and we’re deeply committed to giving back to this community. Thank you for coming and enjoy the performance!

Artistic

Scenery

Artistic Administrator . . . .Roxanne Stou∂er Cruz Artist Relations and Planning Director . . . . . . Floyd Anderson Dramaturg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Sander Principal Conductor-in-Residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Wood Associate Conductor-in-Residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Altenbach Resident Artists . . . . . . . . . .Kyle Albertson, Alison Bates, John David Boehr, Andrea Coleman, Christin-Marie Hill, Christopher Job, Bryan Lemke, Jamison Livsey, Bill Murray, Christian Reinert RAP Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nancy Boler, Carlotta Dradi-Bower, Barbara Kierig, Doug Schulz-Carlson Master Coach . . . . . . . . .Mary Jo Gothmann RAP Guest Clinicians . . . . . .Mary Dibbern, David Neely

Technical Director . . . . . Mike McQuiston Asst. Technical Director. . . Marc D. Johnson Properties Master . . Stanley Dean Hawthorne Properties Assistant . . . . . . . . . Mike Long Lighting Coordinator . . . Marc D. Johnson Production Carpenter . . . . . . . . . JC Amel Scene Shop Foreman . . . . . . . . . . Rod Aird Master Carpenter . . . . . . . . . .Steven Rovie Carpenter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric Veldey

Education Rod Boren, Senior Vice President, Personal Trust Regional Manager, U.S. Bank Private Client Group Jose Peris, Senior Vice President, Private Banking Regional Manager, U.S. Bank Private Client Group

Community Education Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jamie Andrews Teaching Artist . . . . . . . . . .Vicki Fingalson Project Opera Music Director . . . Dale Kruse Project Opera Accompanist . . .Kathy Kraulik

Production Production Director. . . . . . . Kevin Ramach Production Stage Manager . . . . Alex Farino Assistant Stage Managers . . . .Casey Martin, Angie Spencer Production Admin Asst. . Katherine Cattrysse

Costumes

Please Join Us for These 2007-08 Admissions Events

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Meet the New Head of School Saturday, November 3, 2007 9:00-11:30 AM

Lower School Admissions Evening Tuesday, December 11, 2007 7:00-9:00 PM Admissions Open House Sunday, January 13, 2008 1:30-3:30 PM For more information, call Jim James at 763-381-8202

123 Ottawa Ave N • Minneapolis MN 55422 www.breckschool.org

Costume Shop Manager . . . .Erica M. Burds Assistant Costume Shop Manager . .Beth Sanders Drapers . . . . . . . . .Chris Bur, Yancey Thrift, Angela Yarbrough Costume Technicians . . . .Helen Ammann, Jennifer Dawson, Mary Farrell, Rose Ryan, Lindsey Strange Wig/Makeup Assistants . .Emily Rosenmeier, Ashley Ryan, Nina Stewart

MINNESOTA OPERA

Administration Finance Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Je∂ Couture Operations/Systems Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Mittelholtz HR/Accounting Manager . . . . Jennifer Thill Executive Assistant . . . . . . . Theresa Murray Finance Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Libby Jones IT Applications Specialist . . . . . .Jessica Wright

Institutional Advancement Vice President of Institutional Advancement . . . . . . . . . . .Patrick Dewane Institutional Advancement Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kelly Clemens

Development Annual Fund Director . . . . . . .Dawn Loven Grants Manager . . . . . . . . . . .Beth Comeaux Donor Events and Gala Manager . . . . . . . . . . .Emily Skoblik Individual Gifts Manager . . . . . .Morgan Walsh Gala Interns . . . . .Inga Hakanson, Mary Huot

Marketing/Communications Marketing and Communications Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lani Willis Marketing Operations Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marsha Walker Audience Development Associate . . Jamie Nieman Ticket O∑ce Manager . . . Katherine Castille Ticketing and Communications Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Schmidt Ticket O∑ce Assistants . . . .Kendra Ramthun, Kristen Bond, Alexandrea Kouame Marketing Intern . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sara Schweid

Volunteers

The following volunteers contribute their time and talent in support of key activities of The Minnesota Opera. If you would like to learn more about volunteering for The Minnesota Opera, please contact Jamie Nieman by phone at 612-342-9550 or via email at jnieman@mnopera.org. Catherine Ahern Ann Albertson Gerald Benson Jim Brownback Jerry Cassidy Diane Choih Joann Cierniak Susan Cogger Caroline Coopersmith Beverly Dailey Denis Dailey Jeanette Daun Judith Duncan Sally Economon Christopher Foster Hazel Francois Li-Jun Fu Jane Fuller Joan Gacki

Christine A. Garner Mary E. Hagen Merle J. Hanson Anne Hesselroth Heather Huber Karen Johnson Nancy Johnson Steve Johnson Jeannie Johnston Kristen Johnston Robin Keck Dawn Klassen Eleanore Kolar Lucinda Lamont Shirley Larson Mathilda Lien Jerry Lillquist Joyce Lillquist Margery Martin

Joan Masuck Yasuko Matsumoto Mary McDiarmid Beth McGuire Verne Melberg Jeanette Middleton Barbara Moore Doug Myhra Pam Nielsen Candyce Osterkamp Dan Panshin Pat Panshin Megan Pelka Bill Phillips Sydney Phillips Julia Porter Carol Purvis Kathleen Riley Enrique Rotstein

John Sauer Lynette Saucier Michael Silhavy Wendy Silhavy Angie Solomon Wendi Sott Naomi St. Gregory Karen St. John Harry Swepston Dave Terwilliger Emily Thompson Doris Unger Stacey Vonderhear Carolyn Wahtera Sandy Walker Mary Weitz Barbara Willis

NOTES FROM THE

Directors

Artistic Director Welcome to The Minnesota Opera’s company premiere of The Italian Girl in Algiers!

Rossini’s masterpiece is one of the most riotous comedies in all of opera, and its heroine, Isabella, is a signature role of Vivica Genaux. Minnesota Opera regulars will surely remember her brilliant performances in our Bel Canto operas Cinderella, Semiramide, The Capulets and the Montagues and Lucrezia Borgia. Tenor Kenneth Tarver makes his Minnesota Opera debut as Lindoro. Bass Wojtek Gierlach debuts as Mustafà and baritone Andrew Wilkowske (The Magic Flute, Nixon in China, The Grapes of Wrath, The Marriage of Figaro) returns as Taddeo. Helen Binder, who directed last year’s acclaimed production of The Tales of Hoffmann, directs, and The Minnesota FROM THE

BOARD OF

Opera’s principal Conductor-inResidence Robert Wood conducts. Producing treasured works from the fertile Bel Canto period is a unique specialty of The Minnesota Opera. The Bel Canto – or “beautiful singing” – period (approx. 1810–1850) had a profound effect on the art form, and it also guides this company’s artistic vision – both to produce an opera from that body of work each season and to maintain a focus on the voice that informs every aspect of opera production, from design to casting. This year’s offering, The Italian Girl in Algiers, is the perfect representation of that commitment. I hope you enjoy this colorful and imaginative production!

Dale Johnson, Artistic Director

President Welcome to today’s performance – we’re glad you are here!

The Minnesota Opera has had some recent successes I’d like to share with you. We finished the 2006–2007 season in the black – an especially gratifying accomplishment given our expansion to five operas in the season. Last June, we completed the $20 million Opera at the Ordway Initiative. This season we are experiencing record growth in our subscription base. And on October 10, we launched the Arts Partnership, a new non-profit organization comprising the Opera, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Schubert Club and Ordway Center for the Arts. The Arts Partnership represents the interests of the four organizations at their point of intersection – Ordway

Center itself. Over the years, balancing the scheduling needs of Ordway Center and its main users has been challenging. This can be considered a problem of success, as there is more quality programming for the community than there is time in the schedule at Ordway! The Arts Partnership has not only resolved this challenge but has also created a model in which Ordway Center can realize its full potential. Each organization feels it has benefited far beyond any compromises that were made to achieve this success, but the community will be the real winner, as we are just beginning to discover how this beloved cultural asset – and its partners – can flourish as a result of this unprecedented collaboration.

Officers Jane M. Confer, Chair Chip Emery, Vice Chair Debra Paterson, Secretary Denver Gilliand, Treasurer Kevin Smith, President & CEO Directors Martha Goldberg Aronson Wendy Bennett Charles E. Berg J. A. Blanchard III Shari Boehnen Susan S. Boren Kathleen Callahan Nicky B. Carpenter Richard P. Carroll Rachelle D. Chase Mary A. Dearing Sara Donaldson Steve Fox Sharon Hawkins Ruth S. Huss

Philip Isaacson Lucy Rosenberry Jones B. John Lindahl Diana E. Murphy Brian E. Palmer Jodi D. Peterson Mary Ingebrand Pohlad Stephanie J. Prem Elizabeth Redleaf Connie Remele Stephanie Simon Peter W. Sipkins Mitchell Stover Virginia Stringer H. Bernt von Ohlen

Emeriti Karen Bachman Burton Cohen Julia W. Dayton Thomas R. McBurney Mary W. Vaughan Honorary Directors Dominick Argento Philip Brunelle Elizabeth Close Dolly Fiterman Charles C. Fullmer Norton M. Hintz Liz Kochiras Patricia H. Sheppard

Thank you for being here, and enjoy the show. Legal Counsel James A. Rubenstein, Moss & Barnett

Kevin Smith, President and CEO

| THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS

FROM THE

Leadership

THE ARTS ALLOW US TO DISCOVER WHO WE CAN BE Imagine the world without music and dance, or literature and art. Life is incomplete without ways to express ourselves, and to discover who we are and what we can be. That’s why Northern Trust proudly supports the arts in its many diverse forms. Northern Trust has been helping clients meet their financial needs for more than 118 years.

Tom Smith, President & CEO – Minnesota • 612-336-7020 1600 IDS Center • Minneapolis northerntrust.com

MN Orch

Music by Gioachino Rossini Libretto by Angelo Anelli World premiere at the Teatro San Benedetto, Venice May 22, 1813 November 10, 13, 15, 17 and 18, 2007 Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Sung in Italian with English translations Conductor ..............................................Robert Wood Stage Director ........................................Helena Binder Set Designer ................................Robert Innes Hopkins Costume Designer ..................................David Woolard Lighting Designer ..................................Marcus Dilliard Wig Master and Makeup ..............Tom Watson & Associates Chorus Preparation ............................Andrew Altenbach Production Stage Manager ....................Alexander Farino English Captions ..............................Christopher Bergen

BACKGROUND

Notes

by David Sander

THE CAST Isabella, an Italian lady......................Vivica Genaux Lindoro, a young Italian slave..........Kenneth Tarver Mustafà, Bey of Algiers ..............Wojtek Gierlach Taddeo, companion of Isabella ......................Andrew Wilkowske Haly, captain of the Algerian corsairs..........Kyle Albertson Elvira, wife of Mustafà........Alison Bates Zulma, slave and confidante of Elvira ................Andrea Coleman Algerian corsairs, Italian slaves, pappataci

| THE MINNESOTA OPERA www.mnopera.org

Production originally designed for and created by The Santa Fe Opera.

ioachino Rossini worked well under pressure. That his staple of the repertory, Il barbiere di Siviglia, was composed in 21 days is common knowledge, but that’s not the only masterpiece he wrote in a hurry. In 1813, Rossini was in Venice for the local premiere of his opera, La pietra del paragone, to be followed by a new work by Carlo Coccia. When Coccia’s La donna selvaggia failed to materialize and Pietra experienced a slump in ticket sales, the Teatro San Benedetto had to scramble. Though Rossini was making a name for himself in

The Italian Girl in Algiers is sponsored by

The appearances of Kenneth Tarver, winner; Alison Bates and Andrew Wilkowske, regional finalists; and Kyle Albertson and John David Boehr, district finalists of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, are made possible through a Minnesota Opera Endowment Fund established for Artist Enhancement by Barbara White Bemis. The appearances of Kyle Albertson, Alison Bates, John David Boehr, Andrea Coleman and Christian Reinert are made possible by the Virginia L. Stringer Endowment Fund for The Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Program. Performances of The Italian Girl in Algiers are being taped for delayed broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio, KSJN 99.5 in the Twin Cities. Fortepiano courtesy of Jane Lanctot

The Minnesota Opera season is sponsored by FAF Advisors and U.S. Bank. The appearances of the 2007–2008 season conductors are underwritten by SpencerStuart. Opera Insights is sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Camerata Dinners sponsored by Lowry Hill Private Wealth Management.

Notes

opera seria (as evidenced by the successful premiere of (apparently the cellist at Milan’s Teatro Re was not up to Tancredi in February), the Venetians enjoyed his comic the challenge of the complicated obbligato accompaniment, side – all five of his one-act farse had been written for which had to be assigned to the flute). In Naples that city, known for its crucial role in the development (foreshadowing Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera debacle), the of staged comedy during the previous century. In a touchy censors required the Act II rondò “Pensa alla patria, panic, Rossini turned to text by Angelo Anelli, which e intrepido il tuo dover adempi” (“Think of your country, had recently been set by composer Luigi Mosca in 1808 and fearlessly do your duty”) be substituted with “Sullo stil as L’italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers). Of de’ viaggiatori” (“In the guise of simple travelers”) as any course, this was hardly uncommon – Rossini and his context of a unified Italy in those days was suspect. Similarly colleagues, always in a pinch, frequently restaged the fearful Italian cities would simply change the text of the same source material and libretti (Barbiere is one famous original aria to “Pensa alla sposa” (“Think of your wife”). example, first adapted by Giovanni Paisiello). Musically, the difference between Mosca and Rossini is There were modifications, marked. Separated by only five however, including the years, the former is stuck in a elimination of several numbers. Classical rut, moving Lindoro loses an aria just before ponderously along with little the Act I finale, “Bella, da voi change in tempi or variation in forms. Rossini, on the other lontano,” only to gain one in hand, was intimately familiar Act II (“Oh come il cor di with the theatrical expectations giubilo”), which replaces a duet of his audience from his for the two lovers, “Senza il caro childhood – his mother was a suo tesoro,” that is curiously singer (and an interpreter of absent (a feature of Barbiere as Mosca) – and his innovative score well, said to be indicative of leaps off the page with verve, Rossini’s dramaturgy, though highly ornamented at every turn one could argue that the Act II and propelled forward by the trio, “Ah, quel colpo soon-to-be trademark “Rossini” inaspettato,” is an impassioned crescendo (though credited with moment a due, albeit with this device featuring a melody Figaro still in the room). repeated with increasing volume Taddeo is stripped of his Act I and instrumentation, examples aria, “Manco mal, son vivo can be found in the earlier works ancora,” that precedes (and of Mosca and Pietro Generali, draws attention from) Isabella’s among others). L’italiana in grand entrance number, “Cruda sorte,” during which the newly Photo courtesy of The Santa Fe Opera (photographer: Ken Howard) Algeri was a hit from the start and soon eclipsed Coccia’s belated strengthened prima donna catalogues her enviable power over men to additional text premiere of Donna, relegating it to the mere obligatory three performances. Rossini would later remark: “… [the not in Mosca. This is later proven by her Act II cavatina, Venetians] have shown themselves to be crazier than me!” “Per lui che adoro,” as she knowingly declares her beauty Though the words to this second Italiana adhere closely while her three admirers lustfully observe from a distance. to the first, the text modifications are also somewhat of a This piece was also tacked on as a showpiece for Rossini’s favored soprano (prior to Isabella Colbran), the formidable mystery – they could have been the hand of resident Marietta Marcolini, who 12 years his senior, was rumored librettist (and frequent Rossini collaborator) Gaetano Rossi, or from a distance, that of Anelli himself, who held to be his lover and perhaps the inspiration for the Italian Girl’s indomitable spirit. And evidence exists that Rossini a similar position in Milan. The sources of the story are just as enigmatic. Anelli was somewhat of a Classicist, may not have written all the music himself, again quite providing text for an earlier generation of composers that typical for the frenzied business of producing opera in included Giovanni Simone Mayr, Niccolò Piccinni and those days. Certainly he had help with the recitatives and Stefano Pavesi. He was likely familiar with the far more probably jobbed out Haly’s Act II aria di sorbetto, “La femmine d’Italia,” as no one would be paying attention to serious legend of Roxelane, a beautiful slave of the 16ththe stage at the critical moment of the evening when century Turkish autocrat Suleiman the Great. A native of street venders would be selling frozen ices inside the Rohatyn, then part of Poland, she was captured by Crimean theater. Further alterations in Vicenzia and Milan yielded Tartars and eventually found her way into Suleiman’s an alternate Act II aria for Lindoro (“Concedi, amor harem. She convinced the sultan to send his wife and firstborn son to rule one of the provinces, where the boy was pietoso”), a new Act I aria for Isabella (“Cimentando i later strangled by a man named Mustapha. In another ® venti e l’onde”) and reorchestration of “Per lui che adoro” BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

| THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS

BACKGROUND

Notes

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BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

daring move, she became Suleiman’s new wife, bearing five coast, which includes Morocco and Algeria, was controlled children including the next Turkish leader, Selim. Another, by pirates of the Mediterranean, wreaking havoc upon European seafarers [it should be noted Isabella is less brutal theory is based on more current events – a traditionally shipwrecked (rather than the ingenious young, aristocratic Milanese woman, Antonietta Frapolli airplane arrival used in this production) on the shores of had been abducted by Algerian pirates in 1805 and placed in the seraglio of Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim. Her return several Algiers before being captured by Haly and his bandits]. Consolidating power in the Middle East and Northern years later became a newsworthy occurrence. Like other light-hearted works of the day (most notably Africa, the Ottomans took their revenge on Eastern and Central Europe, besieging Vienna more than once with Barbiere), one can also see signs of the tried-and-true one campaign led by commedia dell’arte, the the aforementioned traditional Italian Suleiman in 1529 and comedy that employs another close call stock characters and occurred in 1683. By improvised situations. the time of Mozart-era Taddeo, the amorous Joseph II, the tables buffoon whose love remains unrequited, is turned once more as he ultimately derived from and Russian empress the stock character Catherine the Great Pulcinella (often encroached upon the portrayed as a Turks in 1788, then hunchback or otherwise Napoleon would take deformed, he is his turn, invading operatically evidenced Egypt and Syria a in a much later opera, decade later. Pagliacci (1892) by Coupled with Ruggero Leoncavallo). translations of The Lindoro (a proper Arabian Nights and commedia name also used François Pétis de la as the pseudonym of Croix’s Turkish and Almaviva in Barbiere) is Persian Tales, the the noble young lover colorful, seemingly paired with his indulgent culture quite View of Tangier from the Seashore by Eugène Delacroix (1856–58) innamorata Isabella Minneapolis Institute of Arts foreign to Europeans, (Rosina in Barbiere), Bequest of Mrs. Erasmus C. Lindley in memory of her father James J. Hill became a frequent who shares some of her subject of interest, smart ways and impertinence with the female servantparticularly with the incorporation of magic into its character Columbina (Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro). And fantastic stories and the loose sexuality associated with the Mustafà bears a striking resemblance to the typically seraglio. French painters swarmed to the south – Eugène grotesque, ridiculous older man in vain pursuit of a young, Delacroix journeyed to Tangier in 1832, a watershed pert and unattainable woman (Bartolo in both moment in his development of color theory, and Horace Beaumarchais-derived works). To be sure, the femme fatale Vernet [whose then-mistress and model Olympe Pélissier Isabella has been described as a female Don Giovanni, (as portrayed in the artist’s Judith and Holofernes) would another product of the Italian comedy – it’s hardly an become Rossini’s second wife] made several trips to accident that the rejected and demoralized woman of the Africa’s northern coast and the Middle East. Artists had opera bears the name “Elvira.” the myopic view that Arab customs and behavior hadn’t Ultimately, L’italiana in Algeri is a product of the era’s changed for thousands of years, and therefore, used what thirst for rescue opera and Turkish settings. Much like the they observed to portray Biblical scenes as well as vibrant Orient was for later 19th-century composers, the Ottoman contemporary subjects. Due to cultural beliefs, finding models to pose often presented a problem and gaining Empire was the exotic locale for 18th- and early 19thcentury artists. Previously, Europeans had some bad blood access to a harem proved equally challenging. Many of these artist-travelers were forced to paint from memory. for the “infidels,” stemming from the Crusades and There are scores of examples of turquerie in the resulting in the expulsion of the Moors from Spain and musical world as well. Venice, the birthplace of public Italy. Falling under Turkish control, much of the Barbary

opera in the 17th century, was a relic of Byzantium and considered the gateway to the Orient. The “civilized” Europeans were frequently juxtaposed with the “barbaric” Arabian people. Reinhard Keiser wrote Mumumeth II in 1696 following exploits of the famed Turkish despot (a subject later treated by Rossini) and the composers Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Handel, Hasse, Jommelli, Paër and Mayr all have Middle Eastern-themed works in their repertoires. François Rebel and François Francoeur’s Scanderberg (1735) involves Albania’s struggle for independence from Ottoman rule. André-Modeste Grétry’s international success, Zémire et Azor (1771; the familiar tale of “Beauty and the Beast,” also set by a number of composers including Louis Spohr in 1819), is set in Persia and his La caravane du Caire (1783) takes place in Egypt. Charles-Simon Favart, father of France’s opéra comique wrote Soliman II ou les trois sultanes in 1761, spawning various interpretations of the fair Roxelane including a movement in Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 63. Haydn also used a drama by Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni for his Lo speziale that involves a dual wedding ceremony in Turkish disguise (à la Mozart’s Così fan tutte) as well as modeling his harem farce L’incontro improvviso (like Abduction and Italiana, the opera also features a foreign “rescue”) after Christoph Willibald Gluck’s La rencontre imprévue. Goldoni also wrote L’impresario di Smira (1775), which details a rich Turk who establishes an Italian opera company that is later ruined by the conceit of his singers. Harem operas became de rigueur, in particular narratives with the captured heroine’s virtue in imminent peril and immodest “titles,” such as The Sultan, or A Peep into the Seraglio (1775) by Englishman Isaac Bickerstaffe, demonstrates the public’s titillation with such things. Four Rossini operas have Occidental themes (Italiana, Il turco in Italia, Maometto II, Semiramide), and others employ Muslim characters and disguises [Turco (1814), in fact was a resetting of a text previously set by the Viennese composer Franz Joseph Seydelmann in 1788 and Mozartstudent Franz Xaver Süssmayr in 1794 to text by La clemenza di Tito librettist Caterino Mazzolà – hoping for a repeat of Italiana, the Milanese audience did not find Rossini’s new opera to be the mere inversion they were expecting]. The partitura for Italiana even calls for batterie turque – colorful Jainissary percussion that features

Notes

cymbals, triangle, bells and drums – an Ottoman military tattoo used to keep the soldiers in step. The marching band was also utilized to psychologically terrorize the enemy. The vogue for all things Turkish also brings to mind examples in the œuvre of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – The Abduction from the Seraglio, Thamos, König in Ägyten, Zaïde and L’oca del Cairo – written in the wake of Ottoman conflict. Even The Magic Flute has Egyptian overtones (and includes the stock character of the harem-keeper Monostatos). Interest in the Muslim world continued beyond Rossini, as seen in Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Semiramide riconosciuta (1819), L’esule di Granata (1821) and Il crociato in Egitto (1824); Gaetano Donizetti’s Zoraide in Granata (1822) and Alahor in Granata (1826); Vincenzo Bellini’s Zaira (1829) and Giuseppe Verdi’s Il corsaro (1848), to name a few. It should be noted, though the Orient offered ample circumstance for visual stimulation with respect to scenery and costumes, composers made little aural attempt to recreate authentic Middle Eastern music; rather their interpretation of it through a Westerner’s eyes is what we hear today. Rescue opera was a vogue that originally developed in pre-revolutionary France, and the genre’s most familiar exponent is Ludwig von Beethoven’s Fidelio, based on a French source, Léonore, ou l’amor conjugal (1798), previously set by Pierre Gaveaux. Grétry also excelled in this dramatic medium. His Richard Cœur-de-lion takes place following the Crusades (English King Richard III has been captured by the French), and in “Beauty and the Beast,” Zémire saves Azor from perpetual ugliness. Among the more famous of the countless French examples include Luigi Cherubini’s Lodoïska (1791) and Les deux journées (1800) and Henri-Montan Berton’s Les rigueurs du cloître (1790). One can see elements of rescue opera in a number of German and Italian works, including The Magic Flute and even Rossini’s Barbiere. Statistics reveal that in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, one in every seven operas produced in Germany was of this nature. The plottings are generally quite simple, but what’s intriguing, as we move from the misogynist attitudes of the Enlightenment toward the more egalitarian beliefs of French Revolution, is the percentage of determined, bold and attractive females who save the day. More commonly based on serious subjects, rescue opera of the comic sort can border on silliness, and Rossini employs all of his signature tricks-of-the-trade to incite laughter, including patter aria, signature crescendos, ® BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

| THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS

Photo courtesy of The Santa Fe Opera (photographer: Ken Howard)

BACKGROUND

Synopsis

Photo courtesy of The Santa Fe Opera (photographer: Ken Howard)

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ACT I

Elvira confides in Zulma that she fears her husband, the Bey of Algiers, no longer loves her. Zulma tries to console her mistress, but to little avail as the grumbling Mustafà soon enters, professing his displeasure. The docile harem girls are no longer of interest, nor is his detestable wife. An Italian lady is what he wants, one who is smart and confident. Meanwhile, the Bey’s favorite slave, Lindoro, languishes. Far from his native soil and his Italian lover, he finds captivity in Algiers unbearable. Lindoro soon learns from his master that the Bey intends to pass off Elvira to him. In spite of Mustafà’s flattering portrayal of his soon-to-beex, Lindoro hardly relishes the prospect of the impending marriage. In hot pursuit of her paramour Lindoro, Isabella finds herself marooned among the corsairs, who are all very aware of the Bey’s interest in securing an Italian wife. In order to save her traveling companion from eternal servitude, she claims Taddeo is her uncle and both are taken into custody. Isabella is irked by Taddeo’s amorous intentions toward her, and the irritable pair exchange harmless barbs as they await their uncertain fate. Meanwhile, Zulma tries to ease the tension between an equally unenthusiastic bridegroom and bride. To grease the deal, Mustafà offers a little money and safe passage back to Italy for Lindoro and Elvira, thus ridding himself of his annoying wife forever. Lindoro plans to detach

himself as well, assuring Elvira there will be plenty of men in Italy who will find her desirable. No sooner has Lindoro left the room than does the Italian girl arrive. Mustafà is thrilled by her appearance. Isabella is hardly pleased with his looks and realizes the unpleasantness of the task before her. When Taddeo tries to push his way to her side, he is detained and sentenced to death. Lindoro and Isabella share a moment of quiet recognition. Isabella then remarks how she couldn’t possibly marry a man who handles his wife as shamefully as Mustafà has treated Elvira. She also demands that the Bey cede his slave, Lindoro, to her. – INTERMISSION – ACT II

Zulma, Elvira, Haly and others are amused by Isabella’s brash behavior when dealing with the Bey, but Mustafà has a plan to win her favor. Meanwhile, Isabella is momentarily angered by Lindoro’s apparent willingness to marry Elvira, but he reassures her of his love. Isabella will design their escape. In an effort to court favor with the Italian beauty, Mustafà appoints her “uncle” Kaimakan, a Muslim protector. Taddeo hesitates, and then accepts the honor rather than face death by impalement. Isabella agrees to take coffee with the Bey, but is surprised when Elvira refuses to join them – in Italy, the wives exercise more control over their

husbands. Mustafà, Lindoro and Taddeo observe from a distance as Isabella, knowing of their presence, prepares herself for the visit. She pretends to be flattered by Taddeo’s honored promotion, while Mustafà tries to clear the room with a prearranged signal – a sneeze – so that they can be alone. But Taddeo refuses to leave, vexing Mustafà who is further agitated when Isabella invites Elvira to join them. Taddeo confesses to Lindoro that he is the one Isabella truly loves, but Lindoro falsely assures him that her affections are reserved for the Bey. The Italian Girl intends to throw a grand banquet, and as a token of her affection, appoints Mustafà to the Order of the Pappataci, a position of merit. His cares need only be to eat, drink, sleep and stay silent while attended by beautiful women. Zulma and Haly suspect it is all a hoax, but believe Mustafà needs to be taught a lesson. Isabella rallies the Italians, who will pose as the fictitious Pappataci. She is confident the ruse will lead them back to their homeland. Mustafà is successfully initiated into the “clan” and becomes absorbed into the ritual of selfindulgence, allowing Isabella and Lindoro an opportunity to escape. Taddeo tries to raise the alarm, but Mustafà is helpless, for all of his corsairs are dead-drunk. He returns to Elvira, learning a valuable lesson – clever and independent women are not for him.

GIOACHINO

Rossini

b Pesaro, February 29, 1792; d Passy, November 13, 1868

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Gioachino Rossini Photo credit: Scala/Art Resource, NY

Rossini’s contract with the Neapolitan theaters allowed him to accept commissions elsewhere on the Italian peninsula, but by 1822, the composer showed signs of his patience wearing thin; during the contract period he had written a total of 19 operas. The composer later quipped, “If he had been able to do so, Barbaja would have put me in charge of the kitchen as well.” Rossini was released from his Neapolitan contract that year. The Viennese tour that followed proved enormously successful for the composer, whose works were now familiar all over Europe. Returning to Italy, Rossini signed another contract with La Fenice in Venice for what would become one of his greatest and grandest opera serias, Semiramide. With Italy and Austria conquered, Rossini turned his attention to France and England. A contract was signed in London, but it appears no opera was ever produced. In Paris Rossini accepted the directorship of the Théâtre Italien for two years (1824–26) and oversaw the remounting and revisions of a number of his works. For the ®

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he most prominent Italian composer of the first half of the 19th century, Gioachino Rossini transformed the form and content of Italian opera. Though best known for his comic works – and for music that is sensuous, brilliant and rhythmically vital – Rossini’s contribution to stage works of mixed genres is equally important, making him Verdi’s most significant forerunner. Born into the closely knit community of Pesaro, Italy, at a time of war and political upheaval in Europe, Rossini was brought up by parents who were both working musicians. His father, a horn player and teacher at Bologna’s prestigious Accademia Filarmonica, was also an ardent and outspoken Republican who was imprisoned briefly by the Austrians. Rossini’s mother, despite her lack of musical training, was a reasonably successful soprano. Rossini entered Bologna’s Liceo Musicale at the precocious age of 14 and began composing as early as 1802–03. Shortly after finishing his studies, he obtained a commission for a one-act farce, La cambiale di matrimonio, for the Venetian Teatro San Moisè. Further commissions from Venice yielded more successes, and by the time La pietra del paragone had premiered in 1812, the 20-year-old Rossini, now a maestro di cartello, was without a doubt the leading composer in Italy. Rossini seemed equally confident in both serious and comic veins. Tancredi was a major landmark in opera seria and L’italiana in Algeri was the same for opera buffa – both were composed in 1813. In 1815 he had the good fortune to be secured by Domenico Barbaja, impresario for the Neapolitan theaters, and significantly developed his style and technique over the next seven years. One of the Teatro San Carlo’s assets was Isabella Colbran, a soprano who specialized in opera seria; as a result Rossini wrote many works specifically for her voice. She was to become his mistress and later his first wife.

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15 ROSSINI CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

THE

Artists

For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org Kyle Albertson

Haly Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently A Masked Ball; Le nozze di Figaro; Lakmé; Les contes d’Hoffmann; La donna del lago, The Minnesota Opera Il matrimonio segreto, Merola Opera Program Nixon in China; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Le nozze di Figaro; Finding Yolanda, Chicago Opera Theater Carmen; Giasone; The Cunning Little Vixen; Rigoletto, Aspen Opera Theater Center Upcoming Romeo and Juliet, The Minnesota Opera

Andrea Coleman Zulma Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Le nozze di Figaro; Lakmé; Contes d’Hoffmann, Minn. Opera Glimmerglass Opera Young American Artist Così fan tutte; Little Women; Cendrillon; The Turn of the Screw; The Magic Flute, New England Conservatory The Gondoliers, Harvard-Radcliffe G & S Players The Magic Flute; The Mikado; The Pirates of Penzance, University of Kansas Upcoming The Fortunes of King Croesus; Rusalka, Minnesota Opera

Wojtek Gierlach Mustafà Minnesota Opera Debut Turandot, Festival de Ópera de Tenerife (Santa Cruz) Die Zauberflöte, Palacio de la Ópera de Coruña L’italiana in Algeri, Teatro Nacional de São Carlos (Lisbon) Don Giovanni, Warsaw Chamber Orchestra (Japanese tour) Mosè in Egitto, Belcanto Fest. Wildbad; Semiramide, Pisa Upcoming Lodoïska (Cherubini), Beethoven Festival (Warsaw) Lucia di Lammermoor, Warsaw Grand Theater Don Giovanni, Teatro de la Maestranza (Seville) Il viaggio a Reims, Grand Théâtre de Reims

Andrew Wilkowske Taddeo Minnesota Opera Debut Transatlantic, 1998 Recently Dona Nobis Pacem; Requiem da Camera, Asheville Choral Society Richard Tucker Gala, Avery Fisher Hall Madame Butterfly; Tosca, Los Angeles Opera The Bells (Rachmaninoff), Buffalo Philharmonic Le nozze di Figaro; The Grapes of Wrath; others, Minn. Opera Upcoming Die Zauberflöte, Eugene Opera La traviata, Skylight Opera Theatre

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Marcus Dilliard

Lighting Designer Minnesota Opera Debut Turandot, 1995 Recently Le nozze di Figaro, Minn. Opera; Private Lives, Guthrie Figaro; Don Juan Giovanni, Theatre de la Jeune Lune Upcoming The Sound of Music, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Third, Guthrie Theater John Brown (world premiere), Lyric Opera of Kansas City Awards 2005 Ivey Award; 2006 and 1998 McKnight Fellowships

Robert Wood Conductor Minnesota Opera Debut La donna del lago, 2006 Recently The Nutcracker, San Francisco Ballet The Magic Flute; Le Comte Ory, Wolf Trap Opera Co. L’italiana in Algeri; La traviata, San Francisco Opera Tosca; Faust; Manon; Carmen; Elisir; others, Opera San José Upcoming L’italiana in Algeri, Vancouver Opera; Rusalka, Minn. Opera La Cenerentola, Opera Festival of New Jersey The Love for Three Oranges, Indiana University

Alison Bates Elvira Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Gianni Schicchi; The Gondoliers; Tosca, Chautauqua Opera Lakmé; Les contes d’Hoffmann; La donna del lago; Don Giovanni; The Elephant Man, The Minnesota Opera A View from the Bridge; Abduction from the Seraglio; Little Women; Giulio Cesare, Indiana University Opera Theater Symphony No. 2; Israel in Egypt, Columbus Indiana Phil. Gianni Schicchi, MasterWorks Festival (Young Artist) Upcoming Romeo and Juliet; Rusalka, The Minnesota Opera

Vivica Genaux Isabella Minnesota Opera Debut La Cenerentola, 1998 Recently Bajazet, Teatro Malibran; Ariodante, Paris; London; Madrid Upcoming La Cenerentola, Grand Théâtre de Genève Orfeo ed Euridice, Orchestre National de Toulouse Bajazet, Crakow; Paris; Madrid Bianca e Falliero, Washington Concert Opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Pittsburgh Opera Il barbiere di Siviglia, Metropolitan Opera-in-the-Parks

Kenneth Tarver Lindoro Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Adelaide di Borgogna; Il re pastore, Mozart Fest. (La Coruña) Don Giovanni, Brussels; Paris La donna del lago, Edinburgh Festival Così fan tutte, Teatro San Carlo (Naples) La Cenerentola; others, Metropolitan Opera Upcoming Il turco in Italia, Teatro Verdi (Trieste) Il barbiere di Siviglia, Sächsische Staastsoper (Dresden) Belshazzar, Staatsoper unter den Linden (Berlin); Aix Fest.

Helena Binder Stage Director Minnesota Opera Debut Les contes d’Hoffmann, 2006 Recently Il barbiere di Siviglia, Dallas Opera; Fidelio, Pittsburgh Opera Madama Butterfly; Die tote Stadt; Ermione; Il ritorno d’Ulisse, N.Y. City Opera; Madama Butterfly, Toledo Opera La traviata; Hänsel und Gretel, Opera Roanoke La bohème; L’italiana in Algeri, Lake George Opera Madama Butterfly; The Magic Flute, Chattanooga Opera Upcoming Rodelina; Fidelio, Portland Opera

Robert Innes Hopkins Set Designer Minnesota Opera Debut Passion, 2004 Recently Die Soldaten, Ruhr Triennale Betrothal in a Monastery, Glyndebourne Cavalleria rusticana; Pagliacci, Deutsche Oper Berlin The Flying Dutchman, Opernhaus Zurich Rigoletto; The Flying Dutchman, Welsh National Opera The Cunning Little Vixen, Bregenz Fest.; San Fran. Opera L’elisir d’amore, Welsh National Opera; Opera North Wozzeck; Peter Grimes, Santa Fe Opera

David Woolard Costume Designer Minnesota Opera Debut Aida, 1998 Recently Madame Butterfly, The Minnesota Opera Madame Mao, Santa Fe Opera The Farnsworth Invention; Ring Of Fire; All Shook Up; The Smell of the Kill; Bells Are Ringing; The Rocky Horror Show; Voices in the Dark; Marlene; The Who’s Tommy; Wait Until Dark, Broadway Bare; Barbra’s Wedding; California Dream’n; The Carpetbagger’s Children; The Donkey Show; Jeffrey; others, Off-Broadway

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Chorus

Alex Barnett Rory Behrens John David Boehr Ben Crickenberger Steven Dahlberg Peter Frenz Brandon Glosser Steve Hennigs

Benjamin Hills Eric Mahutga Eric Mellum Jon Olson Christian Reinert Daniel Segura Colyn Tvete Kevin Werner

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Orchestra

Violin I

Cello

Bassoon

Kristen Christensen concertmaster Julia Persitz David Mickens Judy Thon-Jones Angela Hanson Andrea Een Conor O’Brien

John Eadie Thomas Austin Sally Dorer Karl Knapp

Coreen Nordling

Violin II

Flute

Laurie Petruconis Elizabeth Decker Stephan R. Orsak Melinda Marshall Margaret Humphrey Lydia Miller

Michele Frisch (double piccolo)

Supernumeraries Daniel Gregg Joseph Johnson Andrew Northrop Ben Tallen

Horn Charles Kavalovski Charles Hodgson

Bass John Michael Smith Constance Martin

Trumpet John G. Koopmann Christopher Volpe

Percussion Matthew Barber Steve Kimball

Piccolo Amy Morris

Continuo Jameson Livsey

Oboe Viola Vivi Erickson Laurel Browne Susan Janda James Bartsch

Marilyn Ford Tina Brazelton James

Personnel Manager Steve Lund

Clarinet Sandra Powers Nina Olsen

nonsensical (and unprecedented) noise making (in the cacophony of the Act I finale one hears “din-din,” “bom-bom,” cra-cra” and “tac-tac” in reference to the sounds of a bell, a cannon, a bird and a hammer the protagonists hear inside their heads) and the absurd order of the Pappataci, an expression that conjures memories of Mozart’s inane, dimwitted family, the Papageni. An Italian word meaning “to guzzle and be silent,” the term may have evolved from Anelli’s Freemasonistic leanings (silence being one of secretive society’s virtues), but it also sums up the opera quite neatly, if not being somewhat chauvinist – an organization that favors sedentary men eating, drinking and sleeping while women do all the work. Isabella merely shrugs it off as we learn her fatalistic mantra early in the opera (echoed by a 20th-century chanteuse): “Sarà quel che sarà …” – whatever will be, will be. T

Photo courtesy of The Santa Fe Opera (photographer: Ken Howard)

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BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

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