Rossini: The Italian Girl in Algiers

Mustafà, the Bey of Algiers, is tired of his wife Elvira, and her confidante Zulma advises him to remain calm. Haly, the captain of the Algerian corsairs, must find an uncontrollable Italian woman for him within six days. His favorite slave Lindoro is supposed to marry Elvira, but he longs for his beloved. In the search for him, Isabella is washed ashore and captured by the pirates. She cleverly claims her elderly suitor Taddeo is her uncle. Mustafà soon succumbs to Isabella's charm but must keep Elvira and give her Lindoro as a slave. Lindoro quickly convinces Isabella of his loyalty, and they plan their escape together. After Taddeo is elevated to the position of the Bey's Kaimakan, Isabella appoints Mustafà as the Pappataci, who must prove himself in a ceremony by only eating and ignoring everything else around him. Meanwhile, all the Italian slaves board a ship to Venice, and the naive Taddeo only now realizes that Lindoro is Isabella's true love. The deceived Mustafà humbly asks his wife for forgiveness.

For the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice, Rossini set to music the congenial libretto L'italiana in Algeri in just 18 days with some significant changes, originally written by Angelo Anelli in 1808 in Milan for Luigi Mosca. After the overwhelming success in May 1813, Rossini composed alternative numbers for Vicenza (Summer 1813), Milan (April 1814), and Naples (October 1815). In addition to the complete text of the score and the alternative arias printed and translated in this edition of the series Opera Texts, a comprehensive introduction addresses, among other things, the question of Anelli's literary sources and the background of the world premiere as well as the revivals accompanied by Rossini.