L’Italiana in Algeri Is the Dec. 31, 2016, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The Dec. 31, 2016, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is L’Italiana in Algeri, a two-act, operatic dramma giocoso by Gioachino Rossini.

The 2016-2017 Met Opera season's performances of Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri mark the sixth revival of Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's new staging, which debuted Nov. 10, 1973, at Met Opera: Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera, via Twitter Oct. 7, 2016

L’Italiana in Algeri (“The Italian Girl in Algiers), a two-act, operatic dramma giocoso (“joking drama,” “playful drama”) touting feminine strategems by Italian composer Gioachino Antonio Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868), is the Dec. 31, 2016, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

Italian librettist and poet Angelo Anelli (Nov. 10, 1761-April 9, 1820) wrote the Italian libretto, based upon an earlier treatment by Italian composer Luigi Mosca (1775-Nov. 30, 1824). The inspiration for Luigi Mosca’s 1808 opera buffa (“comic opera”) was the kidnapping of Antonietta Frapolli-Suini of Milan, Italy, in 1805 by Barbary (North African) pirates, her stay in the harem of the Bey of Algiers and her safe return to Milan.

The premiere took place May 22, 1813. The venue was Teatro San Benedetto in Venice, Veneto, northeastern Italy. Located in sestiere San Marco (“San Marco district”) in the old city center, Teatro San Benedetto subsequently premiered a second Rossini opera, Eduardo e Cristina, on April 24, 1819.

Rossini’s opera unfolds in the early 1800s. Algiers, a Mediterranean port city under Ottoman rule from 1516 to 1830, serves as the opera’s dangerous, exotic locale.

The Saturday matinee broadcast of L’Italiana in Algeri begins at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (6 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time). The estimated run time for the performance is about 3 hours 2 minutes. The performance, sung in the original Italian, comprises two acts and one intermission.

Act I is timed at 72 minutes. A 35-minute intermission follows Act I.

Act II is timed at 75 minutes. The Saturday matinee broadcast performance ends with Act III’s final notes.

Music Director Emeritus James Levine conducts all performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, of L’Italiana in Algeri. His birthplace is Cincinnati, Hamilton County, southwestern Ohio. The American conductor debuted in the Metropolitan Opera’s 1971 production of Tosca by Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). This season James Levine also conducts Idomeneo by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791) and Nabucco by Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Marianna Pizzolato appears in the title role as Isabella, the resourceful young Italian whose shipwreck off Algiers results in her capture by Haly, captain of the bey’s guard. The Italian mezzo-soprano’s appearance as Isabella this season marks her Metropolitan Opera debut.

Ying Fang appears as Elvira, the Bey of Algiers’ wife who learns from Isabella’s resourcefulness how to tame her husband. Her birthplace is Ningbo, northeastern Zhejiang province, eastern coastal China. The Chinese operatic soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2013 as Madam Podtochina’s Daughter in The Nose by Russian composer and pianist Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (Sept. 25, 1906-Aug. 9, 1975). This season Ying Fang also appears as Ilia in Mozart’s Idomeneo and as Jano in Jenůfa by Czech composer Leoš Janáček (July 3, 1854-Aug. 12, 1928).

Ying Fang shares the role of Elvira this season with Angela Mannino. Ying Fang appears in most October performances and in the Saturday matinee broadcast.

Angela Mannino appears in the Oct. 12, and Oct. 15 performances. Her hometown is Metairie, Jefferson Parish, southeastern Louisiana. The American soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2010 as a Girl in Lulu by Alban Maria Johannes Berg (Feb. 9, 1885-Dec. 24, 1935).

René Barbera appears as Lindoro, the Bey of Algiers’ Italian slave who escapes with his true love, Isabella. He was born in Laredo, Webb County, southern Texas. The American operatic tenor’s appearance as Lindoro this season marks his Metropolitan Opera debut.

Dwayne Croft appears as Haly, the captain of the Bey’s guard who expresses admiration for Italian women. He was born in Cooperstown, Otsego County, Central New York Region, New York. The American baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1990 as Firello in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Dwayne Croft also appears this season as a Capulet in Roméo et Juliette by Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893) and as Baron Douphol in Verdi’s La Traviata.

Ildar Abdrazakov appears as Mustafà, the Bey of Algiers who finally discards his obsession with Italian women. He was born in Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan, southwestern Russia. The Russian bass-baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2004 as Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. This season Ildar Abdrazakov also appears in the title role of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Nicola Alaimo appears as Taddeo, Isabella’s elderly admirer who accompanies her on her search for her fiancé, Lindoro. His birthplace is Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. The Italian baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011 as Paolo in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra.

Rihab Chaieb appears as Zulma, Elvira’s confidante. Her hometown is Montreal, Quebec, eastern Canada. The Canadian-Tunisian mezzo-soprano’s appearance as Zulma marks her Metropolitan Opera debut. Rihab Chaieb also appears this season as a Cretan woman in Mozart’s Idomeneo.

Operabase, an online database, places Gioachino Rossini at number four in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16. L’Italiana in Algeri places at 62 in the list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016 Repertory Report gives performance statistics through Oct. 31. Der Rosenkavalier holds place 70, with 78 performances, for the period from first Met performance, Dec. 5, 1919, to last performance, Oct. 26, 2016. Part of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 season falls outside the report’s parameters.

The takeaway for L’Italiana in Algeri as the Dec. 31, 2016, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Isabella’s spunky spirit and undaunted determination to resolve all challenges in her pursuit of a happy ending with her fiancé.

Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri airs as the Dec. 31, 2016, Saturday matinee broadcast during the 2016-2017 Met Opera season: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Oct. 20, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

The 2016-2017 Met Opera season's performances of Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri mark the sixth revival of Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's new staging, which debuted Nov. 10, 1973, at Met Opera: Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera, via Twitter Oct. 7, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/MMATOpera/status/784459133386883072

Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri airs as the Dec. 31, 2016, Saturday matinee broadcast during the 2016-2017 Met Opera season: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Oct. 20, 2016, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10157728687800533/

For further information:

Barbiera, Raffaello. Passioni del Risorgimento: Nuove Pagine Sulla Principessa Belgiojoso e il suo Tempo con Documenti Inediti e Illustrazioni. Milano, Italia: Fratelli Treves, 1903.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/passionidelrisor00barbuoft

Bazzetta de Vemenia, Nino. Luci e Penombre di Lombardia: Donne ed Amori, Ville e Misteri di Milano e del Lario. Como, Italy: Libreria Editrice Omarini Vittorio, 1921.
Available @ http://opera.stanford.edu/Rossini/Italiana/Frapolli.html

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

“Debut: Joshua Benaim, Angela Mannino, Tom Mulvaney, Frank Colardo.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353539 Lulu {34} Metropolitan Opera House: 05/08/2010.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353539

“L’Italiana in Algeri.” Letteratura Dimenticata > Barbiera.
Available @ http://www.letteraturadimenticata.it/Barbiera.htm

“L’Italiana in Algeri.” Stanford University Opera Glass > Opera Composers. April 2, 2008.
Available @ http://opera.stanford.edu/Rossini/Italiana/main.html

Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera. "Plans tonight #NewYork? L'Italiana in Algeri @MetOpera." Twitter. Oct. 7, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MMATOpera/status/784459133386883072

Metropolitan Opera. “L’Italiana in Algeri: Trailer.” YouTube. Oct. 6, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pquiHWHHEPQ

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "On Stage Tonight: Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri! Ildar Abdrazakov, Marianna Pizzolato, René Barbera, Tenor, Nicola Alaimo, Rihab Chaieb, Mezzo-Soprano, Ying Fang and Dwayne Croft star. Maestro James Levine conducts. bit.ly/2eyiHrC Photo by Ken Howard/Met Opera." Facebook. Oct. 20, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10157728687800533/

“Performances Statistics Through October 31, 2016.” MetOpera Database > The Metropolitan Opera Archives > Repertory Report.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/Database%20Opera%20Statistics.xml