Mystery, longing and great bel canto emotions: Bellini's "La straniera" unfolds a romantic world full of strangeness, passion and dazzling vocal splendor in semi-staged form.
A mysterious "stranger" leads a secluded life under a false identity, arousing the suspicion of the village community. Because of her, a couple becomes estranged shortly before the wedding ceremony and a (seemingly) fatal duel ensues. The main character Alaide is used to explore central themes of romanticism: "being a stranger" and a life in a "foreign land".
Vincenzo Bellini devoted himself to this novel by his - also politically engaged - French contemporary Victor d'Arlincourt after he had literally risen overnight as a new star in the operatic firmament with the premiere of Il pirata in 1827. And once again, the composer, who was not even thirty years old, lived up to his reputation as a "master of bel canto": La straniera premiered to great acclaim at La Scala in Milan in 1829 and has been regarded as a very special "feast of voices" ever since. The press celebrated Bellini as a "modern Orpheus", whose almost infinite melodic arcs so impressively captured the emotional states of his characters in sound ... Tobias Ribitzki's semi-staged production assigns the leading role to the music and attempts to get to the bottom of the strange with humor.
Premiere March 29
Further performances: April 9, 19 and 25, May 9, 2026
