Abstract
Romantic Exoticism was a popular genre on theater and opera stages the 18th and 19th centuries. Audiences were delighted by the exotic magic of the Orient ostensibly on display in these so-called «Turkish operas», with stories about harems full of supposedly subservient women at the disposal of men. They enjoyed the fantasy of the virile, seductive masculine foreigner. From today’s perspective, they are full of nasty clichés and cultural faux pas. Is it even possible to stage a work like Rossini’s Il turco in Italia without perpetuating prejudice? German opera and theater director Jan Philipp Gloger decided to try: he set the opera in the apartments, foyers, and entryways of a modern, middle-class residential building. The result is a lusty, subtle play about misunderstandings that arise when Eastern and Western cultures of today meet. And he has Rossini firmly at his side, as the composer had no small amount of fun with exaggerated parody. It shows in his characters on stage: the seducer Selim; Geronio, the ridiculous and far-too-old husband; Fiorilla, Geronio’s young and enterprising wife (and commedia dell’arte archetype) who’s stuck in the kitchen. And then he adds Prosdocimo to the plot. He’s a poet in search of a new subject for his next play, and, scene by scene, comments on the successful and failed punchlines in this simple yet cleverly convoluted comedy.
This production, which premiered three years ago and was an immediate hit with audiences, is a musical feast, full of runaway tempos, breakneck arias, and an extra helping of buffa fun. The fiery and feisty role of Fiorilla is ideally cast with the equally spirited soprano Olga Peretyatko. At her side are tried-and-true Rossini specialists Renato Girolami, Nahuel Di Pierro, and Pietro Spagnoli.