'Algeria's Italian Woman' Encountered in Korea

National Opera Company’s First Regular Performance of the Year
Domestic Premiere at National Theater Haeoreum from 22nd to 25th
A Work Completed by 21-Year-Old Rossini in Just 27 Days

The National Opera Company will premiere Rossini's opera The Italian Girl in Algiers for the first time in Korea from the 22nd to the 25th at the National Theater's Haeoreum Hall. This is the National Opera Company's first regular performance of the year.

The Italian Girl in Algiers is known to have been completed by Rossini in just 27 days when he was 21 years old. It is a comic opera distinguished by Rossini's characteristic cheerful and lively music. The French writer Stendhal praised this work as "the perfection of the opera buffa style." Opera buffa refers to Italian comic opera.

The Italian Girl in Algiers tells the story of the heroine, the Italian girl Isabella, who uses her wit to escape from the grasp of Mustafa, the Bey of Algiers, along with her lover Lindoro.

Mustafa, tired of his wife Elvira, plans to separate from her by marrying her off to Lindoro, who was kidnapped by pirates and enslaved. Meanwhile, Isabella, who had been searching for the missing Lindoro without any news, is shipwrecked and arrives in Algiers, where Mustafa falls in love with her at first sight. Mustafa orders Lindoro to leave for Italy with Elvira, but Isabella and Lindoro reunite, and Isabella cleverly helps Lindoro escape with her.

The stage will be led by the young conductor Eden, in his 30s, who was the first Korean to reach the finals competing against three others at the 57th Besan?on International Conductors' Competition and received a special mention award. He recently won the 1st Bulgaria Plovdiv International Opera Conducting Competition. This performance marks his domestic debut conducting a full-length opera.

The production is directed by Choi Ji-hyung, who is recognized as a leading opera director in Korea through various opera works.

Italian mezzo-soprano Chiara Amaru and mezzo-soprano Kim Sun-jung, who has established a relationship with the National Opera Company through roles in Carmen and Cinderella, will play the role of Isabella.

The role of Lindoro will be performed by tenor Valery Makarov and Lee Gi-eop. Makarov is a young vocalist who has been active as a chamber ensemble member at the Bolshoi Theatre since 2019 and reached the finals of the Domingo Operalia Competition and the Spanish Vi?as Vocal Competition in 2021. Lee Gi-eop is active mainly on European stages centered in France and will make his domestic opera stage debut with this work.

The role of Mustafa will be performed by bass Kwon Young-myung, currently a principal singer at the Schwerin State Theater, and bass Jeon Tae-hyun, a soloist at the Nuremberg State Theater in Germany who has performed in William Tell and Plat?e.

The National Opera Company will also present this performance online. On the 24th at 3 p.m., the performance can be viewed through the National Opera Company's online streaming service, Knoma Opera, and Naver TV.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.