Laurent Pelly transposes the story of Il turco in Italia to the melodramatic universe of the fotonovelas of the 1940s. The protagonist, Fiorilla, a free, feminist and daring woman, singular in the lyric repertoire of the 19th century, marks the events of a score vindicated by the quality of its music and the modernity of the themes that underlie the libretto of this opera buffa. A modern proposal that involves us in the life of a play that takes place within another play, making us have fun trying to decipher the line between the real and the fantastic.

Following the example of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella, Ottorino Respighi retrieved the music of Rossini for his ballet La Boutique fantasque in 1919. Likewise, three years later, Igor Stravinsky composed his opera Mavra inspired by the opera buffa of Rossini. Nevertheless - and in keeping with his autobiography - it was probably Alfredo Casella, who was the first important composer to see the “Swan” of Pésaro with eyes of the 20th century. In effect, it is almost impossible to not recognise in the libretto of Il turco in Italia similar premises which made Luigi Pirandello, also around 1920, a vanguard figure of theatre. In other words:  the modernity which Respighi, Stravinsky or Casella were intent on finding, had already been discovered a century before by Rossini.

Il turco in Italia, with its six characters in search of an author, its creative poet and a scintillating score, is a predestined tasty morsel for Laurent Pelly. The acclaimed and experienced master of comedy whom we have admired in La Fille du Régiment, Falstaff and Viva la mamma!, among other titles,  will direct the staging of this hilarious comedy in a new production which promises to become, once again, a classic.