{"id":16324,"date":"2023-03-13T01:30:39","date_gmt":"2023-03-13T05:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/?p=16324"},"modified":"2026-03-18T14:59:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:59:55","slug":"mar13-mar19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/2023\/03\/mar13-mar19\/","title":{"rendered":"March 13th-19th: Rossini\u2019s “The Italian Girl in Algiers”"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1728481277711{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”]Published on March 13th, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n

Back to This Week at Eastman<\/a><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” css=”.vc_custom_1677692401977{margin-top: 20px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;background-color: #f4f4f4 !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1669830733727{margin-top: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”1971: Rossini\u2019s The Italian Girl in Algiers <\/i> staged in the Eastman Theater” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1678809436586{margin-top: 40px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;border-left-color: #dddddd !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #dddddd !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #dddddd !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #dddddd !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 1px !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” gap=”15″ equal_height=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1678820968975{margin-top: -10px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;background-color: #f4f4f4 !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1678819904480{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_images_carousel images=”16342,16343,16344″ img_size=”medium” css=”.vc_custom_1678820908910{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1678821507975{margin-top: -30px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: -10px !important;}”]<\/p>\n

Isabella with Mustafa, the Bey of Algiers, who wants her.
\n\u25ba R1170-14A, R1170-15A, R1170-16A<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”12px”][vc_images_carousel images=”16440,16441,16442,16443″ img_size=”medium” css=”.vc_custom_1678826811205{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1710520745007{margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;}”] Mustafa\u2019s obedient harem in Act I.
\n\u25ba R1170-3A, R1170-4A, R1170-7A, R1170-8A
\n<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”12px”][vc_images_carousel images=”16345,16346″ img_size=”medium” css=”.vc_custom_1678826838149{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1710520769446{margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}”] Isabella with four of the Eunuchs.
\n\u25ba R1170-31A, R1170-32A
\n<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1678819890751{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”16349″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image” css=”.vc_custom_1678827158017{margin-top: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 5px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”16357″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image” css=”.vc_custom_1678821374020{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_images_carousel images=”16347,16348,16350,16351,16352,16353,16354,16355,16356″ img_size=”medium” css=”.vc_custom_1710521043327{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-left: 40px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1710520795501{margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”] Members of the cast in repose during dress rehearsal.
\n\u25ba R1167-8, R1167-9, R1167-10, R1167-11, R1167-14, R1167-16, R1167-18, R1167-19, R1167-21, R1167-23, R1167-23
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photos by Louis Ouzer<\/em><\/p>\n

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Fifty-two years ago this week, on March 19th, 1971, Rossini\u2019s opera The Italian Girl in Algiers (L\u2019Italiana in Algeri) <\/em>opened in the Eastman Theater for a two-night run.\u00a0 The production was directed by Leonard Treash[1]<\/sup><\/a>; the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Edwin MacArthur[2]<\/sup><\/a>; and the designer was Thomas Struthers[3]<\/a><\/sup>.\u00a0 The production marked the second staging at Eastman of The Italian Girl in Algiers; <\/em>an earlier production in February, 1964 had been directed by Leonard Treash, nad a later production in October, 1980 would be directed by Richard Pearlman.\u00a0 (For the rest of this discussion I will refer to the opera by its Italian title, while acknowledging that the Eastman productions have been sung in English.) \u00a0Apart from the frequent performance of scenes from Rossini operas in the end-of-semester Opera Scenes by students of the Voice & Opera Department, five Rossini operas have been produced in their entirety at Eastman.\u00a0 They have been La Cambiale di Matrimonio,<\/em> staged as The Marriage Contract <\/em>in June, 1938 (directed by Nicolas Konraty), and later as The I.O.U. Wedding <\/em>in October, 1985 and in November, 1992 (both directed by Richard Pearlman); Cinderella, <\/em>in February, 1955 (directed by Leonard Treash); Il Turco in Italia (The Turk in Italy),<\/em> in October-November, 2002 (directed by Steven Daigle); and three productions of L\u2019Italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers) <\/em>(1964, 1971, 1980).<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 In addition, Richard Pearlman directed a concert of concert of excerpts from La Gazza Ladra<\/em> and Le Comte Ory<\/em> in May, 1989.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_images_carousel images=”16375,16327,16328,16329″ img_size=”250×370″ css=”.vc_custom_1678822640333{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” gap=”10″ equal_height=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1678822459627{margin-top: -15px !important;margin-bottom: -10px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;background-color: #f4f4f4 !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1678816050477{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_images_carousel images=”16392,16331,16393″ img_size=”250×400″ css=”.vc_custom_1678822746325{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1710519931596{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”]\u25baMemorandum detailing cuts to be made in the score. Leonard Treash Collection. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1678816378752{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”16335″ img_size=”medium” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” css=”.vc_custom_1678816459171{margin-top: 10px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1678816392490{margin-top: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_images_carousel images=”16389,16398″ img_size=”250×400″ css=”.vc_custom_1678822951073{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1710519940090{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”]\u25baProps list for the March, 1971 production. Leonard Treash Collection. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” css=”.vc_custom_1677695455693{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;background-color: #f4f4f4 !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1669830733727{margin-top: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}”][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes”][vc_column_inner css=”.vc_custom_1669831170763{margin-top: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) reigned supreme over Italian opera for the first half of the 19th century, until the arrival of Giuseppi Verdi (1813-1901) on the scene.[4]<\/a>\u00a0<\/sup> Between 1812, year of the premiere of Demetrio e Polibio, <\/em>and 1829, year of the premiere of Guillaume Tell, <\/em>fully 39 operas by Rossini were premiered on Italian stages.\u00a0 L\u2019Italiana in Algeri, <\/em>conceived and published as a dramma giocoso <\/em>in two acts, was one of his early operas, commissioned for the Teatro di San Benedetto in Venice.\u00a0 The story was already known to the Italian audience, for the libretto by Angelo Anelli (1761-1820) had already been set by composer Luigi Mosca (1775-1824) and had been successfully staged at La Scala in 1808.\u00a0 In Rossini\u2019s treatment, the work has been recognized as an example of opera buffa <\/em>that adopted elements of the opera seria.\u00a0 <\/em>Sources disagree as to how long it took Rossini to compose the opera, but the work appears to have written and completed in less than one month.\u00a0 The opera was premiered on May 22nd, 1813, when the composer was enjoying the flush of success that had followed the premiere of Tancredi <\/em>three months earlier.\u00a0 L\u2019Italian in Algeri <\/em>was another instant success, and these two 1813 operas were what initially contributed to Rossini\u2019s reputation outside of Italy.\u00a0 Today L\u2019Italian in Algeri <\/em>remains firmly in the repertory.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Set in the 18th century, the action of L\u2019Italiana in Algeri <\/em>surrounds that most timeless of themes, the pursuit of love (in whichever form: physical, romantic, erotic, you name it).\u00a0 The Bey of Algiers (think of him as the Sultan, or chief administrator) is bored with his harem, and conceives a notion to marry off his principal wife Elvira to his slave Lindoro, after which he will take to himself one of those beautiful Italian girls about whom he\u2019s heard so much.\u00a0 Long story short, the lovely Isabella, the Italian girl of the title, is spotted and is presented to Mustafa, but in a hilarious sequence of events, she outwits him.\u00a0 The opera ends happily for everyone, or almost.\u00a0 Isabella and her beloved Lindoro escape on a ship bound for Europe, and Mustafa seems destined to remain with his faithful wife Elvira.\u00a0 In both of the March, 1971 performances, the role of Isabella was sung by Mary Henderson, BM \u201970, MM \u201972.\u00a0 Ms. Henderson (today Mary Stucky) went on to an operatic career in Europe, also performing in recital and oratorio in Europe and in the USA; she taught at Washington University in St. Louis and later at the College-Conservatory of Music (University of Cincinnati), eventually retiring as Professor Emerita of Voice.\u00a0 The other leading roles were played by the following:<\/p>\n

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Elvira: Gale Oliver, BM 1972; Sherry Zannoth, MM 1972<\/p>\n

Zulma: Julianne Cross, MM 1973; Virginia Tiedemann, MM 1971<\/p>\n

Ali: Ahmed Tahir, BM 1971<\/p>\n

Mustafa: Joseph Bias, MM 1972; Alexander Stephens, BM 1971<\/p>\n

Lindoro: Douglas Ahlstedt, MM 1971; Booker Wilson, MM 1973<\/p>\n

Taddeo: William McFarland, BM 1972<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Master tapes of both of the Eastman performances are extant in the Eastman Audio Archive; each cast recording clocks in at just over two hours and two minutes.\u00a0 Photographer Louis Ouzer was present on March 19th, 1971 at what appears to have been the dress rehearsal, and snapped a copious number of shots of the performers in action and in repose.\u00a0 In addition, director Treash\u2019s two vocal scores (Ricordi and G. Schirmer) and various notes and production papers are preserved in the Leonard Treash Collection at the Sibley Music Library.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

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Future \u201cTW@E\u201d entries will comment on other Eastman productions as we approach Eastman Opera\u2019s centennial in 2023-24.<\/p>\n

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[1]<\/a> Served on the Eastman School faculty 1947-1976.<\/span><\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Served on the Eastman School faculty 1968-1973.<\/span><\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Served on the Eastman School faculty 1967-1975.<\/span><\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> More than one writer has pointed out that 1813 was an important year for opera.\u00a0 Verdi was born in October of that year, and on one and the same day, May 22nd, 1813, Wagner was born and L\u2019Italiana in Algeri <\/em>\u00a0was premiered.<\/span><\/p>\n

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On March 19th, 1971, Rossini\u2019s opera The Italian Girl in Algiers (L\u2019Italiana in Algeri) opened in the Eastman Theater for a two-night run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":276,"featured_media":16349,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[25],"coauthors":[3],"class_list":["post-16324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-this-week-at-eastman","tag-march"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/276"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22851,"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16324\/revisions\/22851"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16324"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esm4.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=16324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}