Il Re Teodoro in Venezia - by Giovanni Paisiello

Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen, Kleines Haus

Premiere:
May 30, 2020 

Further performances::
June 05 / 13

Musical direction: Robin Phillips 

Director: Sebastian Welker

Stage and costumes: Galya Solodovnikova

Cast: to be announced

The plot seems like movie material – without lacking historical fact: Westphalian baron Theodor von Neuhoff has made history as the first king of Corsica. But the powerful Republic of Genoa would not tolerate Corsica’s independence, leaving Theodor no choice but to flee. In Paisiello’s comic opera “Il re Teodoro in Venezia”, he is stranded in Venice without a penny to his name, and has to conceal his identity. His shrewd servant Gafforio keeps his creditors at bay. Theodor promises social advancement to the wealthy innkeeper Taddeo, hoping to marry his daughter Lisetta. She declines at first, but changes her mind after believing to have caught her lover Sandrino cheating on her. When Teodoros sister Belisa appears with an enamoured sultan following her, no one can make heads or tails of anything anymore. With each twist becoming more absurd than the last, the opera rushes towards its  grand finale: King Teodoro ends up in debtor’s prison – a warning to all rulers who don’t know when to stop…

An episode from Voltaire’s famous satirical novel “Candide” inspired Giambattista Casti to write the witty text and absurd situation comedy in “Il re Teodoro”. The composer, Giovanni Paisiello, is largely unknown today. His fame was so great during his lifetime however that he was appointed to the court of Catherine the Great in St. Petersburg for a number of years. This was the type of honour even his contemporary and admirer Mozart never achieved. He composed about a hundred works for the stage, ranging from classical dramatic opera over Neapolitan comedy up to early romantic melodrama. High time for a revival of an authentically European musician and one of his masterpieces!