Rossini in Wildbad - La gazza ladra – The Thieving Magpie (Milan 1817 / Naples 1819 and 1820)

Rossini wrote this opera immediately after *La Cenerentola*. It belongs to the unique genre of semiseria, although the tone in *La Gazza* is extremely dark in places and the happy ending comes abruptly and is therefore very effective. Rossini wrote this opera immediately after *La Cenerentola*. It belongs to the peculiar genre of semiseria, although the tone in *La Gazza* is at times extremely gloomy and the happy ending comes abruptly and thus very effectively. The unfortunate Ninetta is quickly sentenced to death for the alleged theft of a spoon (!). And this is not opera kitsch, but corresponds to the legal reality of the time. For a penniless domestic servant and her father, who had to enlist in the military, even small mistakes could be fatal, and so it seems until the very last scene as if a remaining family is being abruptly exterminated, against which even the well-meaning are powerless. The shocking barbarity of the "law," which is abused by the Podestà as a public official for sexual harassment, is clearly highlighted in the plot. Rossini composed the music for this opera entirely from scratch. The overture with its drum rolls is famous. We are performing the largely unknown Neapolitan version with three alternative arias. The new production by festival director Jochen Schönleber is conducted by José Miguel Pérez-Sierra.