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Contents

The Minnesota Opera

President & CEO Kevin SmithArtistic Director Dale Johnson

Chair, Board of Directors 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.

The Minnesota Opera Programis published by

Corporate Administrator/Publisher Todd HydeAssoc. Publisher/Director of Production Marsha Kitchel

Account Executives Liesl Hyde, Amy NewtonCreative Designer Stacy Harwood

Graphic Designers Sue Sentyrz Klapmeier, Robert Ochsner

This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State ArtsBoard 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

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

The Minnesota Opera Staff and Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Notes from the Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7The Italian Girl in Algiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Background Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Gioachino Rossini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The Artists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16The Minnesota Opera Chorus and Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182007-2008 Gala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Education at the Opera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Out at The Opera Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Young Professionals Group Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262007-2008 Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Opera at the Ordway Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29The Minnesota Opera Annual Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

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MINNESOTA OPERA Staff

MINNESOTA OPERA Volunteers

Welcome to today’s production of The Italian

Girl in Algiers. For more than four decades, TheMinnesota Opera has enriched the cultural lifeof our community by producing outstanding andinnovative operas that inspire and entertain.

U.S. Bank is honored to sponsor the 2007 –2008 season. We are proud of our 20+ yearrelationship with The Minnesota Opera and thespectacular Ordway Center in St. Paul.

At U.S. Bank, we support great dreams, great art and great arts organizations. They enrich thecommunity with vibrancy, creativity and excellence. As the sixth largest bank in Americatoday, U.S. Bank is the only major bank headquartered in Minnesota, and we’re deeplycommitted to giving back to this community.

Thank you for coming and enjoy the performance!

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

President & CEO Kevin SmithArtistic Director Dale Johnson

ArtisticArtistic Administrator . . . .Roxanne Stou∂er CruzArtist Relations and

Planning Director . . . . . . Floyd AndersonDramaturg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David SanderPrincipal Conductor-in-Residence

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert WoodAssociate Conductor-in-Residence

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew AltenbachResident Artists . . . . . . . . . .Kyle Albertson,

Alison Bates, John David Boehr,Andrea Coleman, Christin-Marie Hill,

Christopher Job, Bryan Lemke,Jamison Livsey, Bill Murray,

Christian ReinertRAP Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nancy Boler,

Carlotta Dradi-Bower, Barbara Kierig, Doug Schulz-Carlson

Master Coach . . . . . . . . .Mary Jo GothmannRAP Guest Clinicians . . . . . .Mary Dibbern,

David Neely

EducationCommunity Education Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jamie AndrewsTeaching Artist . . . . . . . . . .Vicki FingalsonProject Opera Music Director . . . Dale KruseProject Opera Accompanist . . .Kathy Kraulik

ProductionProduction Director. . . . . . . Kevin RamachProduction Stage Manager . . . . Alex FarinoAssistant Stage Managers . . . .Casey Martin,

Angie SpencerProduction Admin Asst. . Katherine Cattrysse

CostumesCostume Shop Manager . . . .Erica M. BurdsAssistant Costume Shop Manager . .Beth SandersDrapers . . . . . . . . .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

SceneryTechnical Director . . . . . Mike McQuistonAsst. Technical Director. . . Marc D. JohnsonProperties Master . . Stanley Dean HawthorneProperties Assistant . . . . . . . . . Mike LongLighting Coordinator . . . Marc D. JohnsonProduction Carpenter . . . . . . . . . JC AmelScene Shop Foreman . . . . . . . . . . Rod AirdMaster Carpenter . . . . . . . . . .Steven RovieCarpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric Veldey

AdministrationFinance Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Je∂ CoutureOperations/Systems

Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve MittelholtzHR/Accounting Manager . . . . Jennifer ThillExecutive Assistant . . . . . . . Theresa MurrayFinance Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Libby JonesIT Applications Specialist . . . . . .Jessica Wright

Institutional AdvancementVice President of Institutional

Advancement . . . . . . . . . . .Patrick DewaneInstitutional Advancement

Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kelly Clemens

DevelopmentAnnual Fund Director . . . . . . .Dawn LovenGrants Manager . . . . . . . . . . .Beth ComeauxDonor Events and

Gala Manager . . . . . . . . . . .Emily SkoblikIndividual Gifts Manager . . . . . .Morgan WalshGala Interns . . . . .Inga Hakanson, Mary Huot

Marketing/CommunicationsMarketing and Communications

Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lani WillisMarketing Operations

Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marsha WalkerAudience Development Associate . . Jamie NiemanTicket O∑ce Manager . . . Katherine CastilleTicketing and Communications Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert SchmidtTicket O∑ce Assistants . . . .Kendra Ramthun,

Kristen Bond, Alexandrea KouameMarketing Intern . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sara Schweid

The following volunteers contribute their time and talent in support of key activities of The Minnesota Opera. If youwould like to learn more about volunteering for The Minnesota Opera, please contact Jamie Nieman by phone at612-342-9550 or via email at jnieman@mnopera.org.

Catherine AhernAnn AlbertsonGerald BensonJim BrownbackJerry CassidyDiane ChoihJoann CierniakSusan CoggerCaroline CoopersmithBeverly DaileyDenis DaileyJeanette DaunJudith DuncanSally EconomonChristopher FosterHazel FrancoisLi-Jun FuJane FullerJoan Gacki

Christine A. GarnerMary E. HagenMerle J. HansonAnne HesselrothHeather HuberKaren JohnsonNancy JohnsonSteve JohnsonJeannie JohnstonKristen JohnstonRobin KeckDawn KlassenEleanore KolarLucinda LamontShirley LarsonMathilda LienJerry LillquistJoyce LillquistMargery Martin

Joan MasuckYasuko MatsumotoMary McDiarmidBeth McGuireVerne MelbergJeanette MiddletonBarbara MooreDoug MyhraPam NielsenCandyce OsterkampDan PanshinPat PanshinMegan PelkaBill PhillipsSydney PhillipsJulia PorterCarol PurvisKathleen RileyEnrique Rotstein

John SauerLynette SaucierMichael SilhavyWendy SilhavyAngie SolomonWendi SottNaomi St. GregoryKaren St. JohnHarry SwepstonDave TerwilligerEmily ThompsonDoris UngerStacey VonderhearCarolyn WahteraSandy WalkerMary WeitzBarbara Willis

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

Please Join Us for These2007-08 Admissions Events

Meet the New Head of SchoolSaturday, November 3, 20079:00-11:30 AM

Lower School Admissions EveningTuesday, December 11, 20077:00-9:00 PM

Admissions Open HouseSunday, January 13, 20081:30-3:30 PM

For more information, call Jim Jamesat 763-381-8202

Welcome totoday’s perform-ance – we’re gladyou are here!

The MinnesotaOpera has hadsome recent

successes I’d like to share with you.We finished the 2006–2007 season inthe black – an especially gratifyingaccomplishment given our expansionto five operas in the season. Last June,we completed the $20 million Operaat the Ordway Initiative. This seasonwe are experiencing record growth inour subscription base. And on October10, we launched the Arts Partnership,a new non-profit organization com-prising the Opera, The Saint PaulChamber Orchestra, Schubert Cluband Ordway Center for the Arts.

The Arts Partnership represents theinterests of the four organizations attheir point of intersection – Ordway

Center itself. Over the years, balanc-ing the scheduling needs of OrdwayCenter and its main users has beenchallenging. This can be considered a problem of success, as there is morequality programming for the community than there is time in the schedule at Ordway! The ArtsPartnership has not only resolved thischallenge but has also created a modelin which Ordway Center can realizeits full potential. Each organizationfeels it has benefited far beyond anycompromises that were made toachieve this success, but the commu-nity will be the real winner, as we arejust beginning to discover how thisbeloved cultural asset – and its part-ners – can flourish as a result of thisunprecedented collaboration.

Thank you for being here, and enjoythe show.

Kevin Smith, President and CEO

Welcome to TheMinnesota Opera’scompany premiereof The Italian Girlin Algiers!

Rossini’s master-piece is one of the

most riotous comedies in all of opera,and its heroine, Isabella, is a signaturerole of Vivica Genaux. MinnesotaOpera regulars will surely rememberher brilliant performances in our Bel Canto operas Cinderella,Semiramide, The Capulets and theMontagues and Lucrezia Borgia. TenorKenneth Tarver makes his MinnesotaOpera debut as Lindoro. Bass WojtekGierlach debuts as Mustafà and baritone Andrew Wilkowske (The Magic Flute, Nixon in China, The Grapes of Wrath, The Marriage ofFigaro) returns as Taddeo. HelenBinder, who directed last year’sacclaimed production of The Tales ofHoffmann, directs, and The Minnesota

Opera’s principal Conductor-in-Residence Robert Wood conducts.

Producing treasured works from thefertile Bel Canto period is a uniquespecialty of The Minnesota Opera. The Bel Canto – or “beautiful singing”– period (approx. 1810–1850) had aprofound effect on the art form, and italso guides this company’s artisticvision – both to produce an operafrom that body of work each seasonand to maintain a focus on the voicethat informs every aspect of opera production, from design to casting.This year’s offering, The Italian Girl in Algiers, is the perfect representationof that commitment.

I hope you enjoy this colorful andimaginative production!

Dale Johnson, Artistic Director

NOTES FROM THE Leadership

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BOARD OF DirectorsFROM THE Artistic Director

FROM THE President

OfficersJane M. Confer, Chair

Chip Emery, Vice ChairDebra Paterson, SecretaryDenver Gilliand, Treasurer

Kevin Smith, President & CEO

Directors

EmeritiKaren BachmanBurton Cohen

Julia W. DaytonThomas R. McBurney

Mary W. Vaughan

Honorary DirectorsDominick Argento

Philip BrunelleElizabeth CloseDolly Fiterman

Charles C. FullmerNorton M. Hintz

Liz KochirasPatricia H. Sheppard

Legal CounselJames A. Rubenstein, Moss & Barnett

Martha Goldberg AronsonWendy BennettCharles E. BergJ. A. Blanchard IIIShari BoehnenSusan S. BorenKathleen CallahanNicky B. CarpenterRichard P. CarrollRachelle D. ChaseMary A. DearingSara DonaldsonSteve FoxSharon HawkinsRuth S. Huss

Philip IsaacsonLucy Rosenberry JonesB. John LindahlDiana E. MurphyBrian E. PalmerJodi D. PetersonMary Ingebrand PohladStephanie J. PremElizabeth RedleafConnie RemeleStephanie SimonPeter W. SipkinsMitchell StoverVirginia StringerH. Bernt von Ohlen

Northern Trust B

anks are mem

bers FDIC

. ©2

007

Northern

Trust Corporation.

northerntrust.com

Imagine the world without music and dance, or literature and art. Life isincomplete without ways to express ourselves, and to discover who we areand what we can be. That’s why Northern Trust proudly supports the arts inits many diverse forms.

Northern Trust has been helping clients meet their financial needs formore than 118 years.

THE ARTS ALLOW US TO DISCOVER WHO WE CAN BE

Tom Smith, President & CEO – Minnesota • 612-336-70201600 IDS Center • Minneapolis

MN Orch

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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 CouncilAuditions, 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 conductorsare underwritten by SpencerStuart.

Opera Insights is sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Camerata Dinners sponsored by Lowry Hill PrivateWealth Management.

The Italian Girl in Algiers is sponsored by

Music by Gioachino RossiniLibretto by Angelo Anelli

World premiere at the Teatro San Benedetto, VeniceMay 22, 1813

November 10, 13, 15, 17 and 18, 2007Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Sung in Italian with English translations

Conductor ..............................................Robert WoodStage Director ........................................Helena BinderSet Designer ................................Robert Innes HopkinsCostume Designer ..................................David WoolardLighting Designer ..................................Marcus DilliardWig Master and Makeup ..............Tom Watson & AssociatesChorus Preparation ............................Andrew AltenbachProduction Stage Manager ....................Alexander FarinoEnglish Captions ..............................Christopher Bergen

THE CASTIsabella, an Italian lady......................Vivica GenauxLindoro, a young Italian slave..........Kenneth TarverMustafà, Bey of Algiers ..............Wojtek GierlachTaddeo, companion of

Isabella ......................Andrew WilkowskeHaly, captain of the

Algerian corsairs..........Kyle AlbertsonElvira, wife of Mustafà........Alison BatesZulma, slave and confidante

of Elvira ................Andrea Coleman

Algerian corsairs, Italian slaves, pappataci

Production originally designed forand created by The Santa Fe Opera.

G ioachino Rossini workedwell under pressure. Thathis staple of the repertory, Il

barbiere di Siviglia, wascomposed in 21 days iscommon knowledge, butthat’s not the onlymasterpiece he wrote in ahurry. In 1813, Rossini wasin Venice for the localpremiere of his opera,

La pietra del paragone, to befollowed by a new work by

Carlo Coccia. When Coccia’sLa donna selvaggia failed tomaterialize and Pietraexperienced a slump in ticket

sales, the Teatro San Benedettohad to scramble. Though Rossiniwas making a name for himself in

BACKGROUND Notesby David Sander

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opera seria (as evidenced by the successful premiere ofTancredi in February), the Venetians enjoyed his comicside – all five of his one-act farse had been written forthat city, known for its crucial role in the developmentof staged comedy during the previous century. In apanic, Rossini turned to text by Angelo Anelli, whichhad recently been set by composer Luigi Mosca in 1808as L’italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers). Ofcourse, this was hardly uncommon – Rossini and hiscolleagues, always in a pinch, frequently restaged thesame source material and libretti (Barbiere is one famousexample, first adapted by Giovanni Paisiello).

There were modifications,however, including theelimination of several numbers.Lindoro loses an aria just beforethe Act I finale, “Bella, da voilontano,” only to gain one inAct II (“Oh come il cor digiubilo”), which replaces a duetfor the two lovers, “Senza il carosuo tesoro,” that is curiouslyabsent (a feature of Barbiere aswell, said to be indicative ofRossini’s dramaturgy, thoughone could argue that the Act IItrio, “Ah, quel colpoinaspettato,” is an impassionedmoment a due, albeit withFigaro still in the room).Taddeo is stripped of his Act Iaria, “Manco mal, son vivoancora,” that precedes (anddraws attention from) Isabella’sgrand entrance number, “Crudasorte,” during which the newlystrengthened prima donnacatalogues her enviable power over men to additional textnot in Mosca. This is later proven by her Act II cavatina,“Per lui che adoro,” as she knowingly declares her beautywhile her three admirers lustfully observe from a distance.This piece was also tacked on as a showpiece for Rossini’sfavored soprano (prior to Isabella Colbran), the formidableMarietta Marcolini, who 12 years his senior, was rumoredto be his lover and perhaps the inspiration for the ItalianGirl’s indomitable spirit. And evidence exists that Rossinimay not have written all the music himself, again quitetypical for the frenzied business of producing opera inthose days. Certainly he had help with the recitatives andprobably jobbed out Haly’s Act II aria di sorbetto, “Lafemmine d’Italia,” as no one would be paying attention tothe stage at the critical moment of the evening whenstreet venders would be selling frozen ices inside thetheater. Further alterations in Vicenzia and Milan yieldedan alternate Act II aria for Lindoro (“Concedi, amorpietoso”), a new Act I aria for Isabella (“Cimentando iventi e l’onde”) and reorchestration of “Per lui che adoro”

(apparently the cellist at Milan’s Teatro Re was not up tothe challenge of the complicated obbligato accompaniment,which had to be assigned to the flute). In Naples(foreshadowing Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera debacle), thetouchy censors required the Act II rondò “Pensa alla patria, e intrepido il tuo dover adempi” (“Think of your country,and fearlessly do your duty”) be substituted with “Sullo stilde’ viaggiatori” (“In the guise of simple travelers”) as anycontext of a unified Italy in those days was suspect. Similarlyfearful Italian cities would simply change the text of theoriginal aria to “Pensa alla sposa” (“Think of your wife”).

Musically, the difference between Mosca and Rossini ismarked. Separated by only fiveyears, the former is stuck in aClassical rut, movingponderously along with littlechange in tempi or variation informs. Rossini, on the otherhand, was intimately familiarwith the theatrical expectationsof his audience from hischildhood – his mother was asinger (and an interpreter ofMosca) – and his innovative scoreleaps off the page with verve,highly ornamented at every turnand propelled forward by thesoon-to-be trademark “Rossini”crescendo (though credited withthis device featuring a melodyrepeated with increasing volumeand instrumentation, examplescan be found in the earlier worksof Mosca and Pietro Generali,among others). L’italiana inAlgeri was a hit from the startand soon eclipsed Coccia’s belated

premiere of Donna, relegating it to the mere obligatory threeperformances. Rossini would later remark: “… [theVenetians] have shown themselves to be crazier than me!”

Though the words to this second Italiana adhere closelyto the first, the text modifications are also somewhat of amystery – they could have been the hand of residentlibrettist (and frequent Rossini collaborator) GaetanoRossi, or from a distance, that of Anelli himself, who helda similar position in Milan. The sources of the story arejust as enigmatic. Anelli was somewhat of a Classicist,providing text for an earlier generation of composers thatincluded Giovanni Simone Mayr, Niccolò Piccinni andStefano Pavesi. He was likely familiar with the far moreserious legend of Roxelane, a beautiful slave of the 16th-century Turkish autocrat Suleiman the Great. A native ofRohatyn, then part of Poland, she was captured by CrimeanTartars and eventually found her way into Suleiman’sharem. She convinced the sultan to send his wife and first-born son to rule one of the provinces, where the boy waslater strangled by a man named Mustapha. In another �

BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

BACKGROUND Notes

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

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daring move, she became Suleiman’s new wife, bearing fivechildren including the next Turkish leader, Selim. Another,less brutal theory is based on more current events – ayoung, aristocratic Milanese woman, Antonietta Frapollihad been abducted by Algerian pirates in 1805 and placedin the seraglio of Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim. Her return severalyears later became a newsworthy occurrence.

Like other light-hearted works of the day (most notablyBarbiere), one can also see signs of the tried-and-truecommedia dell’arte, thetraditional Italiancomedy that employsstock characters andimprovised situations.Taddeo, the amorousbuffoon whose loveremains unrequited, isultimately derived fromthe stock characterPulcinella (oftenportrayed as ahunchback or otherwisedeformed, he isoperatically evidencedin a much later opera,Pagliacci (1892) byRuggero Leoncavallo).Lindoro (a propercommedia name also usedas the pseudonym ofAlmaviva in Barbiere) isthe noble young loverpaired with hisinnamorata Isabella(Rosina in Barbiere),who shares some of hersmart ways and impertinence with the female servant-character Columbina (Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro). AndMustafà bears a striking resemblance to the typicallygrotesque, ridiculous older man in vain pursuit of a young,pert and unattainable woman (Bartolo in bothBeaumarchais-derived works). To be sure, the femme fataleIsabella has been described as a female Don Giovanni,another product of the Italian comedy – it’s hardly anaccident that the rejected and demoralized woman of theopera bears the name “Elvira.”

Ultimately, L’italiana in Algeri is a product of the era’sthirst for rescue opera and Turkish settings. Much like theOrient was for later 19th-century composers, the OttomanEmpire was the exotic locale for 18th- and early 19th-century artists. Previously, Europeans had some bad bloodfor the “infidels,” stemming from the Crusades andresulting in the expulsion of the Moors from Spain andItaly. Falling under Turkish control, much of the Barbary

coast, which includes Morocco and Algeria, was controlledby pirates of the Mediterranean, wreaking havoc uponEuropean seafarers [it should be noted Isabella istraditionally shipwrecked (rather than the ingeniousairplane arrival used in this production) on the shores ofAlgiers before being captured by Haly and his bandits].Consolidating power in the Middle East and NorthernAfrica, the Ottomans took their revenge on Eastern andCentral Europe, besieging Vienna more than once with

one campaign led bythe aforementionedSuleiman in 1529 andanother close calloccurred in 1683. Bythe time of Mozart-eraJoseph II, the tablesturned once more as heand Russian empressCatherine the Greatencroached upon theTurks in 1788, thenNapoleon would takehis turn, invadingEgypt and Syria adecade later.

Coupled withtranslations of TheArabian Nights andFrançois Pétis de laCroix’s Turkish andPersian Tales, thecolorful, seeminglyindulgent culture quiteforeign to Europeans,became a frequentsubject of interest,

particularly with the incorporation of magic into itsfantastic stories and the loose sexuality associated with theseraglio. French painters swarmed to the south – EugèneDelacroix journeyed to Tangier in 1832, a watershedmoment in his development of color theory, and HoraceVernet [whose then-mistress and model Olympe Pélissier(as portrayed in the artist’s Judith and Holofernes) wouldbecome Rossini’s second wife] made several trips toAfrica’s northern coast and the Middle East. Artists hadthe myopic view that Arab customs and behavior hadn’tchanged for thousands of years, and therefore, used whatthey observed to portray Biblical scenes as well as vibrantcontemporary subjects. Due to cultural beliefs, findingmodels to pose often presented a problem and gainingaccess to a harem proved equally challenging. Many ofthese artist-travelers were forced to paint from memory.

There are scores of examples of turquerie in themusical world as well. Venice, the birthplace of public

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View of Tangier from the Seashore by Eugène Delacroix (1856–58)Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Bequest of Mrs. Erasmus C. Lindley in memory of her father James J. Hill

BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

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BACKGROUND Notes

opera in the 17th

century, was a relic ofByzantium and considered the

gateway to the Orient. The “civilized” Europeans werefrequently juxtaposed with the “barbaric” Arabianpeople. Reinhard Keiser wrote Mumumeth II in 1696following exploits of the famed Turkish despot (asubject later treated by Rossini) and the composersVivaldi, Scarlatti, Handel, Hasse, Jommelli, Paër andMayr all have Middle Eastern-themed works in theirrepertoires. François Rebel and François Francoeur’sScanderberg (1735) involves Albania’s struggle forindependence from Ottoman rule. André-ModesteGrétry’s international success, Zémire et Azor (1771; thefamiliar tale of “Beauty and the Beast,” also set by anumber of composers including Louis Spohr in 1819), isset in Persia and his La caravane du Caire (1783) takesplace in Egypt. Charles-Simon Favart, father of France’sopéra comique wrote Soliman II ou les trois sultanes in 1761,spawning various interpretations of the fair Roxelaneincluding a movement in Franz Joseph Haydn’sSymphony No. 63. Haydn also used a drama by Venetianplaywright Carlo Goldoni for his Lo speziale thatinvolves a dual wedding ceremony in Turkish disguise(à la Mozart’s Così fan tutte) as well as modeling hisharem farce L’incontro improvviso (like Abduction andItaliana, the opera also features a foreign “rescue”) afterChristoph Willibald Gluck’s La rencontre imprévue.Goldoni also wrote L’impresario di Smira (1775), whichdetails a rich Turk who establishes an Italian operacompany that is later ruined by the conceit of his singers.

Harem operas became de rigueur, in particular narrativeswith the captured heroine’s virtue in imminent peril andimmodest “titles,” such as The Sultan, or A Peep into theSeraglio (1775) by Englishman Isaac Bickerstaffe,demonstrates the public’s titillation with such things.Four Rossini operas have Occidental themes (Italiana, Ilturco in Italia, Maometto II, Semiramide), and others employMuslim characters and disguises [Turco (1814), in fact wasa resetting of a text previously set by the Viennesecomposer Franz Joseph Seydelmann in 1788 and Mozart-student Franz Xaver Süssmayr in 1794 to text by Laclemenza di Tito librettist Caterino Mazzolà – hoping for arepeat of Italiana, the Milanese audience did not findRossini’s new opera to be the mere inversion they wereexpecting]. The partitura for Italiana even calls for batterieturque – colorful Jainissary percussion that features

cymbals, triangle,bells and drums – an

Ottoman military tattoo used tokeep the soldiers in step. The marching band was

also utilized to psychologically terrorize the enemy. Thevogue for all things Turkish also brings to mind examples inthe œuvre of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – The Abductionfrom the Seraglio, Thamos, König in Ägyten, Zaïde and L’oca delCairo – written in the wake of Ottoman conflict. Even TheMagic Flute has Egyptian overtones (and includes the stockcharacter of the harem-keeper Monostatos). Interest in theMuslim world continued beyond Rossini, as seen inGiacomo Meyerbeer’s Semiramide riconosciuta (1819), L’esule diGranata (1821) and Il crociato in Egitto (1824); GaetanoDonizetti’s Zoraide in Granata (1822) and Alahor in Granata(1826); Vincenzo Bellini’s Zaira (1829) and GiuseppeVerdi’s Il corsaro (1848), to name a few. It should be noted,though the Orient offered ample circumstance for visualstimulation with respect to scenery and costumes, composersmade little aural attempt to recreate authentic MiddleEastern music; rather their interpretation of it through aWesterner’s eyes is what we hear today.

Rescue opera was a vogue that originally developed inpre-revolutionary France, and the genre’s most familiarexponent is Ludwig von Beethoven’s Fidelio, based on aFrench source, Léonore, ou l’amor conjugal (1798),previously set by Pierre Gaveaux. Grétry also excelled inthis dramatic medium. His Richard Cœur-de-lion takesplace following the Crusades (English King Richard IIIhas been captured by the French), and in “Beauty and theBeast,” Zémire saves Azor from perpetual ugliness. Amongthe more famous of the countless French examples includeLuigi 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 ofGerman and Italian works, including The Magic Flute andeven Rossini’s Barbiere. Statistics reveal that in the late 18th

and early 19th centuries, one in every seven operas producedin Germany was of this nature. The plottings are generallyquite simple, but what’s intriguing, as we move from themisogynist attitudes of the Enlightenment toward the moreegalitarian beliefs of French Revolution, is the percentage ofdetermined, bold and attractive females who save the day.

More commonly based on serious subjects, rescue operaof the comic sort can border on silliness, and Rossiniemploys all of his signature tricks-of-the-trade to incitelaughter, including patter aria, signature crescendos, �

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ACT I

Elvira confides in Zulma that shefears her husband, the Bey of Algiers,no longer loves her. Zulma tries toconsole her mistress, but to littleavail as the grumbling Mustafà soonenters, professing his displeasure. Thedocile harem girls are no longer ofinterest, nor is his detestable wife. AnItalian lady is what he wants, onewho is smart and confident.

Meanwhile, the Bey’s favorite slave,Lindoro, languishes. Far from hisnative soil and his Italian lover, hefinds captivity in Algiers unbearable.Lindoro soon learns from his masterthat the Bey intends to pass off Elvirato him. In spite of Mustafà’sflattering portrayal of his soon-to-be-ex, Lindoro hardly relishes theprospect of the impending marriage.

In hot pursuit of her paramourLindoro, Isabella finds herselfmarooned among the corsairs, who areall very aware of the Bey’s interest insecuring an Italian wife. In order tosave her traveling companion frometernal servitude, she claims Taddeo isher uncle and both are taken intocustody. Isabella is irked by Taddeo’samorous intentions toward her, and theirritable pair exchange harmless barbsas they await their uncertain fate.

Meanwhile, Zulma tries to ease the tension between an equallyunenthusiastic bridegroom and bride.To grease the deal, Mustafà offers alittle money and safe passage back toItaly for Lindoro and Elvira, thusridding himself of his annoying wifeforever. Lindoro plans to detach

himself as well, assuring Elvira therewill be plenty of men in Italy whowill find her desirable.

No sooner has Lindoro left the roomthan does the Italian girl arrive.Mustafà is thrilled by her appearance.Isabella is hardly pleased with hislooks and realizes the unpleasantnessof the task before her. When Taddeotries to push his way to her side, he isdetained and sentenced to death.Lindoro and Isabella share a momentof quiet recognition. Isabella thenremarks how she couldn’t possiblymarry a man who handles his wife asshamefully as Mustafà has treatedElvira. She also demands that the Beycede his slave, Lindoro, to her.

– INTERMISSION –

ACT II

Zulma, Elvira, Haly and others areamused by Isabella’s brash behaviorwhen dealing with the Bey, butMustafà has a plan to win her favor.Meanwhile, Isabella is momentarilyangered by Lindoro’s apparentwillingness to marry Elvira, but hereassures her of his love. Isabella willdesign their escape.

In an effort to court favor with theItalian beauty, Mustafà appoints her“uncle” Kaimakan, a Muslimprotector. Taddeo hesitates, and thenaccepts the honor rather than facedeath by impalement.

Isabella agrees to take coffee withthe Bey, but is surprised when Elvirarefuses to join them – in Italy, thewives exercise more control over their

husbands. Mustafà, Lindoro andTaddeo observe from a distance asIsabella, knowing of their presence,prepares herself for the visit. Shepretends to be flattered by Taddeo’shonored promotion, while Mustafàtries to clear the room with a pre-arranged signal – a sneeze – so thatthey can be alone. But Taddeo refusesto leave, vexing Mustafà who isfurther agitated when Isabella invitesElvira to join them.

Taddeo confesses to Lindoro that heis the one Isabella truly loves, butLindoro falsely assures him that heraffections are reserved for the Bey.The Italian Girl intends to throw agrand banquet, and as a token of heraffection, appoints Mustafà to theOrder of the Pappataci, a position ofmerit. His cares need only be to eat,drink, sleep and stay silent whileattended by beautiful women.

Zulma and Haly suspect it is all ahoax, but believe Mustafà needs to betaught a lesson. Isabella rallies theItalians, who will pose as thefictitious Pappataci. She is confidentthe ruse will lead them back to theirhomeland. Mustafà is successfullyinitiated into the “clan” and becomesabsorbed into the ritual of self-indulgence, allowing Isabella andLindoro an opportunity to escape.Taddeo tries to raise the alarm, butMustafà is helpless, for all of hiscorsairs are dead-drunk. He returnsto Elvira, learning a valuable lesson –clever and independent women arenot for him.

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Synopsis

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

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GIOACHINO Rossinib Pesaro, February 29, 1792; d Passy, November 13, 1868

T he most prominent Italiancomposer of the first half of the19th century, Gioachino Rossini

transformed the form and content ofItalian opera. Though best known forhis comic works – and for music thatis sensuous, brilliant and rhythmicallyvital – Rossini’s contribution to stageworks of mixed genres is equallyimportant, making him Verdi’s most significant forerunner.

Born into the closely knitcommunity of Pesaro, Italy, at a time of war and political upheaval in Europe, Rossini was brought up by parents who were both workingmusicians. His father, a horn playerand teacher at Bologna’s prestigiousAccademia Filarmonica, was also anardent and outspoken Republican who was imprisoned briefly by theAustrians. Rossini’s mother, despiteher lack of musical training, was areasonably successful soprano. Rossinientered Bologna’s Liceo Musicale atthe precocious age of 14 and begancomposing as early as 1802–03.Shortly after finishing his studies, heobtained a commission for a one-actfarce, La cambiale di matrimonio, for theVenetian Teatro San Moisè. Furthercommissions from Venice yieldedmore successes, and by the time La pietra del paragone had premiered in 1812, the 20-year-old Rossini, nowa maestro di cartello, was without adoubt the leading composer in Italy.

Rossini seemed equally confident in both serious and comic veins.Tancredi was a major landmark inopera seria and L’italiana in Algeri wasthe same for opera buffa – both werecomposed in 1813. In 1815 he hadthe good fortune to be secured byDomenico Barbaja, impresario for theNeapolitan theaters, and significantlydeveloped his style and techniqueover the next seven years. One of theTeatro San Carlo’s assets was IsabellaColbran, a soprano who specialized inopera seria; as a result Rossini wrotemany works specifically for her voice.She was to become his mistress andlater his first wife.

Rossini’s contract with theNeapolitan theaters allowed him toaccept commissions elsewhere on theItalian peninsula, but by 1822, thecomposer showed signs of his patiencewearing thin; during the contractperiod he had written a total of 19operas. The composer later quipped,“If he had been able to do so, Barbajawould have put me in charge of thekitchen as well.”

Rossini was released from hisNeapolitan contract that year. TheViennese tour that followed provedenormously successful for thecomposer, whose works were nowfamiliar all over Europe. Returning toItaly, Rossini signed another contractwith La Fenice in Venice for whatwould become one of his greatest andgrandest opera serias, Semiramide.

With Italy and Austria conquered,Rossini turned his attention to Franceand England. A contract was signedin London, but it appears no operawas ever produced. In Paris Rossiniaccepted the directorship of theThéâtre Italien for two years(1824–26) and oversaw theremounting and revisions of anumber of his works. For the �

Gioachino RossiniPhoto credit: Scala/Art Resource, NY

ROSSINI CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

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

Marcus DilliardLighting Designer

Minnesota Opera DebutTurandot, 1995

RecentlyLe nozze di Figaro, Minn. Opera; Private Lives, Guthrie

Figaro; Don Juan Giovanni, Theatre de la Jeune LuneUpcoming

The Sound of Music, Ordway Center for the Performing ArtsThird, Guthrie Theater

John Brown (world premiere), Lyric Opera of Kansas CityAwards

2005 Ivey Award; 2006 and 1998 McKnight Fellowships

Kyle AlbertsonHaly

Minnesota Opera Resident ArtistRecently

A Masked Ball; Le nozze di Figaro; Lakmé; Les contesd’Hoffmann; La donna del lago, The Minnesota Opera

Il matrimonio segreto, Merola Opera ProgramNixon 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

UpcomingRomeo and Juliet, The Minnesota Opera

Vivica GenauxIsabellaMinnesota Opera DebutLa Cenerentola, 1998RecentlyBajazet, Teatro Malibran; Ariodante, Paris; London; MadridUpcomingLa Cenerentola, Grand Théâtre de GenèveOrfeo ed Euridice, Orchestre National de ToulouseBajazet, Crakow; Paris; MadridBianca e Falliero, Washington Concert OperaI Capuleti e i Montecchi, Pittsburgh OperaIl barbiere di Siviglia, Metropolitan Opera-in-the-Parks

Wojtek GierlachMustafà

Minnesota Opera DebutTurandot, Festival de Ópera de Tenerife (Santa Cruz)

Die Zauberflöte, Palacio de la Ópera de CoruñaL’italiana in Algeri, Teatro Nacional de São Carlos (Lisbon)Don Giovanni, Warsaw Chamber Orchestra (Japanese tour)Mosè in Egitto, Belcanto Fest. Wildbad; Semiramide, Pisa

UpcomingLodoïska (Cherubini), Beethoven Festival (Warsaw)

Lucia di Lammermoor, Warsaw Grand TheaterDon Giovanni, Teatro de la Maestranza (Seville)

Il viaggio a Reims, Grand Théâtre de Reims

Andrea ColemanZulma

Minnesota Opera Resident ArtistRecently

Le nozze di Figaro; Lakmé; Contes d’Hoffmann, Minn. OperaGlimmerglass Opera Young American Artist

Così fan tutte; Little Women; Cendrillon; The Turn of theScrew; The Magic Flute, New England Conservatory

The Gondoliers, Harvard-Radcliffe G & S PlayersThe Magic Flute; The Mikado; The Pirates of Penzance,

University of KansasUpcoming

The Fortunes of King Croesus; Rusalka, Minnesota Opera

Robert WoodConductor

Minnesota Opera DebutLa donna del lago, 2006

RecentlyThe 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 JoséUpcoming

L’italiana in Algeri, Vancouver Opera; Rusalka, Minn. OperaLa Cenerentola, Opera Festival of New Jersey

The Love for Three Oranges, Indiana University

Robert Innes HopkinsSet DesignerMinnesota Opera DebutPassion, 2004RecentlyDie Soldaten, Ruhr TriennaleBetrothal in a Monastery, GlyndebourneCavalleria rusticana; Pagliacci, Deutsche Oper BerlinThe Flying Dutchman, Opernhaus ZurichRigoletto; The Flying Dutchman, Welsh National OperaThe Cunning Little Vixen, Bregenz Fest.; San Fran. OperaL’elisir d’amore, Welsh National Opera; Opera NorthWozzeck; Peter Grimes, Santa Fe Opera

David WoolardCostume DesignerMinnesota Opera DebutAida, 1998RecentlyMadame Butterfly, The Minnesota OperaMadame Mao, Santa Fe OperaThe 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

Helena BinderStage DirectorMinnesota Opera DebutLes contes d’Hoffmann, 2006RecentlyIl barbiere di Siviglia, Dallas Opera; Fidelio, Pittsburgh OperaMadama Butterfly; Die tote Stadt; Ermione; Il ritorno

d’Ulisse, N.Y. City Opera; Madama Butterfly, Toledo OperaLa traviata; Hänsel und Gretel, Opera RoanokeLa bohème; L’italiana in Algeri, Lake George OperaMadama Butterfly; The Magic Flute, Chattanooga OperaUpcomingRodelina; Fidelio, Portland Opera

Alison BatesElviraMinnesota Opera Resident ArtistRecentlyGianni Schicchi; The Gondoliers; Tosca, Chautauqua OperaLakmé; Les contes d’Hoffmann; La donna del lago; Don

Giovanni; The Elephant Man, The Minnesota OperaA View from the Bridge; Abduction from the Seraglio; Little

Women; Giulio Cesare, Indiana University Opera TheaterSymphony No. 2; Israel in Egypt, Columbus Indiana Phil.Gianni Schicchi, MasterWorks Festival (Young Artist)UpcomingRomeo and Juliet; Rusalka, The Minnesota Opera

Andrew WilkowskeTaddeo

Minnesota Opera DebutTransatlantic, 1998

RecentlyDona Nobis Pacem; Requiem da Camera, Asheville Choral Society

Richard Tucker Gala, Avery Fisher HallMadame Butterfly; Tosca, Los Angeles Opera

The Bells (Rachmaninoff), Buffalo PhilharmonicLe nozze di Figaro; The Grapes of Wrath; others, Minn. Opera

UpcomingDie Zauberflöte, Eugene Opera

La traviata, Skylight Opera Theatre

Kenneth TarverLindoroMinnesota Opera DebutRecentlyAdelaide di Borgogna; Il re pastore, Mozart Fest. (La Coruña)Don Giovanni, Brussels; ParisLa donna del lago, Edinburgh FestivalCosì fan tutte, Teatro San Carlo (Naples)La Cenerentola; others, Metropolitan OperaUpcomingIl turco in Italia, Teatro Verdi (Trieste)Il barbiere di Siviglia, Sächsische Staastsoper (Dresden)Belshazzar, Staatsoper unter den Linden (Berlin); Aix Fest.

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THE MINNESOTA OPERA Chorus

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THE MINNESOTA OPERA Orchestra

Alex BarnettRory BehrensJohn David BoehrBen CrickenbergerSteven DahlbergPeter FrenzBrandon GlosserSteve Hennigs

Benjamin HillsEric MahutgaEric MellumJon OlsonChristian ReinertDaniel SeguraColyn TveteKevin Werner

SupernumerariesDaniel GreggJoseph JohnsonAndrew NorthropBen Tallen

Violin I Kristen Christensen

concertmasterJulia PersitzDavid MickensJudy Thon-JonesAngela HansonAndrea EenConor O’Brien

Violin II Laurie PetruconisElizabeth Decker Stephan R. OrsakMelinda Marshall Margaret HumphreyLydia Miller

Viola Vivi EricksonLaurel Browne Susan JandaJames Bartsch

CelloJohn EadieThomas AustinSally DorerKarl Knapp

BassJohn Michael Smith Constance Martin

Flute Michele Frisch

(double piccolo)

PiccoloAmy Morris

OboeMarilyn Ford Tina Brazelton James

ClarinetSandra Powers Nina Olsen

BassoonCoreen Nordling

HornCharles Kavalovski Charles Hodgson

TrumpetJohn G. KoopmannChristopher Volpe

PercussionMatthew BarberSteve Kimball

ContinuoJameson Livsey

Personnel ManagerSteve Lund

nonsensical (and unprecedented) noise making (in the cacophony of the Act Ifinale one hears “din-din,” “bom-bom,” cra-cra” and “tac-tac” in reference to thesounds of a bell, a cannon, a bird and a hammer the protagonists hear inside theirheads) and the absurd order of the Pappataci, an expression that conjures memoriesof Mozart’s inane, dimwitted family, the Papageni. An Italian word meaning “toguzzle and be silent,” the term may have evolved from Anelli’s Freemasonisticleanings (silence being one of secretive society’s virtues), but it also sums up theopera quite neatly, if not being somewhat chauvinist – an organization that favors

sedentary men eating, drinking and sleeping whilewomen do all the work. Isabella merely

shrugs it off as we learn her fatalisticmantra early in the opera (echoed by

a 20th-century chanteuse):“Sarà quel che sarà …” –

whatever will be, will be. �

BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

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Schubert

Auction DonorsArthur Murray Dance Studio Saint Paul Jamie Andrews Avant Karen Bachman Bibelot Shops Gus and Mary Blanchard Café Barbette Café Latté Caldrea Richard P. Carroll, M.D., F.A.C.S. Shelli Chase Beth Comeaux Jane and Ogden Confer Jeff Cook Jeff Couture Dale Studios Des Moines Metro Opera, Inc. Patrick Dewane Sara and Jock Donaldson Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra Chip and Vicki Emery General Mills Denver and Nicole Gilliand Glimmerglass Opera Great Waters Brewing Co. Melody Haines Haskell’s, Inc. Bill and Sharon Hawkins Heather Harden Hennepin Theatre Trust History Theatre Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad Intoto Boutique James Sewell Ballet John G. Shedd Aquarium JP American Bistro Jungle Theatre

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Fund-a-Dream The Minnesota Opera is pleased

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