The musical direction is in the hands of Pedro Beriso, with staging by Marcos Darbyshire. Set and costume design are by Agnes Hasun, lighting by Karl Wiedemann, and dramaturgy by Kai Weßler.
The cast features:
Inna Demenkova as Berenice,
Alberto Robert as Count Alberto,
Roberto Lorenzi as Don Parmenione,
Petra Radulović * as Ernestina,
Ilya Dovnar * as Don Eusebio,
and Lazar Parežanin * as Martino.
* A CAMPUS collaboration with the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and the Mozarteum University Salzburg.
Burletta per musica in one Act
Libretto by Luigi Prividali
Opportunity makes the thief – this is both the title and the theme of Gioachino Rossini’s sparkling one-act opera L’occasione fa il ladro, composed in 1812. During a storm, Count Alberto loses his suitcase. The finder, Don Parmenione, discovers a portrait of Alberto’s fiancée Berenice inside – and seizes the opportunity. Disguising himself in the Count’s clothes, he introduces himself to Berenice as her mysterious future husband. But he has no idea that Berenice has switched roles with her friend Ernestina in order to observe her betrothed from a safe distance.
As Parmenione courts the false Berenice, the real Alberto arrives. Though initially shocked by the unexpected rival, he soon finds himself falling for the woman he believes to be Berenice’s friend. In true opera buffa fashion, the tangled web of mistaken identities ultimately leads to genuine love. Already in this early work, Rossini displays the hallmarks of his later style: fast-paced ensembles, expressive and virtuosic arias, witty instrumental effects – and the first thunderstorm music of his career. Beneath the comedy, however, lie serious themes: identity theft, social disguise, and the universal quest for one’s true self. Marcos Darbyshire, who delighted audiences at the Kammeroper in 2017 with his production of Don Pasquale, returns to direct this cleverly crafted comedy.
The opera will be performed in Italian, with surtitles in German and English.
An introductory talk on the work will take place 30 minutes before the start of each performance.
