With a good dose of artistic freedom, new interconnecting texts, a renowned cast of vocalists and using historical instruments the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble transforms works from the grand opera tradition into new chamber operas suitable for concert halls. For their series of Rossini operas the NBE created a new chamber opera based on Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia (1814) or The Turk in Italy. This time the entire libretto, including the aria lyrics, has been rewritten in Dutch.

With the almost deliberately impossible and complicated story of Il Turco Rossini ridiculed the soap-like opera genre which would later earn him such great success himself (The Barber of Sevilla). A Turkish prince, two ladies courting him, a fiancée and a husband are the characters of a comedy which a librettist (Rossini himself?) tries to steer in the right direction on stage in order to arrive at a good story. Terrific situations ensue.

Featuring:
Johannette Zomer – soprano
Frans Fiselier – baritone
Bernard Loonen – tenor
Marc Pantus – bass-baritone

George Groot – new libretto
Gusta Teengs Gerritsen – direction advice
Hans van der Heide – orchestration