French soprano Anne Sophie Duprels is young and beautiful; her vocal prowess is beyond reproach; and she is regularly lauded for being as fine an actor as she is a singer.
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The Italian Girl in Algiers
Gioacchino Rossini
'I know how to tame these men.' ISABELLA
Traditionally, Algiers was a heady hotbed of polygamy, piracy and plotting in palaces. If Rossini's beloved comic opera is anything to go by. The Italian Girl in Algiers is a spicy brew in which many forces are at work - the battle of the sexes, the clash of cultures and the strict societal code of the times just for starters.
This fast-moving comedy of errors has more impossible plot twists than a daytime soap opera. Rossini wrote The Italian Girl when he was just 21, although he had already stormed through 10 operas by then. But he didn't stint on quality; his light-hearted masterpiece has lasted the distance and his quick-witted, independent heroine is as relevant today as she has ever been.
New Zealand-born, London-based mezzo soprano Wendy Dawn Thompson - a previous PwC Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist and now a major name overseas - is returning to sing Isabella. And following his triumph as Don Pasquale, the irrepressible Conal Coad takes on the role of the lusty Mustafa.
WELLINGTON 9 - 16 May 2009 AUCKLAND 28 May - 6 June 2009
Traditionally, Algiers was a heady hotbed of polygamy, piracy and plotting in palaces. If Rossini's beloved comic opera is anything to go by. The Italian Girl in Algiers is a spicy brew in which many forces are at work - the battle of the sexes, the clash of cultures and the strict societal code of the times just for starters.