opera notebook
some operas I have seen on videoAndré Grétry, Zemira e Azor (1776)
libretto by Mattia Verazi
Nationaltheater Mannheim at Schlosstheater Schwetzingen, 2023
- Conductor: Bernhard Forck
- Director and Set Designer: Nigel Lowery
- Azor: Patrick Kabongo
- Zemira: Amelia Scicolone
Despite an inexplicable motif of characters sitting down to eat milk and cereal, this production of a little-performed 18th-century comic opera is charming, thanks to the appeal of the leads Amelia Scicolone and Patrick Kabongo. The French original Zémire et Azor, libretto by Jean-François Marmontel, dates from 1771. This Italian version by Mattia Verazi was first performed in Mannheim in 1776, so it was chosen for a revival at the historic Schlosstheater Schwetzingen nearby in 2023.