Description
The aim of my paper is to contribute to the musicological debate surrounding the Mediterranean by focusing on the role of Algeria in the creation of Gioachino Rossini’s opera “L’italiana in Algeri” (1813). Specifically, I would like to draw the attention of the musicological community to the results of recent research that could lead us to reconsider existing theories regarding two aspects of “L’italiana in Algeri”. The first aspect concerns the truthfulness of the opera’s plot: it is believed today that the character of Isabella was inspired by Antonietta Frapolli, a woman who, according to some early-20th-century sources, was kidnapped by Algerian corsairs at the beginning of the 19th century. Nevertheless, archival research reveals a lack of evidence to support this claim, challenging its validity. The second aspect involves the possible political content of Rossini’s opera: although recent historiographical trends tend to sever any connection between early-19th-century opera and the Italian Risorgimento, an analysis of the librettist of “L’italiana in Algeri”, Angelo Anelli, as well as some archival findings, demonstrates his evident political engagement. This makes the hypothesis that Rossini’s opera contains a political message entirely plausible. The study of these two aspects of “L’italiana in Algeri” allows us to reconsider the role of Algeria and, more broadly, the southern Mediterranean coast in the opera’s creation. While this geographical area may not have been essential as the backdrop for a news item that inspired the plot, it was likely significant as a space distant enough from Italy to portray the Italian political situation in a safer manner, sending patriotic messages to the opera’s audience.
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