A mysterious stranger who only leaves her house wearing a veil has aroused the villagers’ suspicions. Nevertheless, she kindles the love of Count Arturo di Ravensteel, who is just about to marry Isoletta. He does not suspect that behind the stranger, whom he has come to know as Alaide, is the future queen of France. La straniera, premièred in Milan with great success in 1829, is a milestone within Bellini’s oeuvre, for the score reveals Bellini’s desire to distance himself radically from Rossini’s stile fiorito and to seek the truth of sentiment in song. However, even at the première the unrealistic plot was criticised, although Bellini and his librettist Felice Romani were not in the least concerned with stringent logic. They emphasise other aspects, such as the figure of Arturo, who similarly to Goethe’s Werther is driven by his obsessive passion and expressly refuses to learn Alaide’s secret. La straniera is an undeservedly forgotten gem of the bel canto genre of which we would again like to present Christof Loy’s production this season. Edita Gruberova as Alaide heads the exquisite cast of singers, while General Music Director Fabio Luisi will bring the score to life with the Philharmonia Zurich.