La gazzetta

Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) was the most celebrated Italian composer of his age, a master of both opera buffa and opera seria. Born in Pesaro, he penned nearly forty operas before the age of thirty-seven, including immortal works such as “Il barbiere di Siviglia,” “La Cenerentola,” and “Guillaume Tell.” “Adina, ovvero Il Califfo di Bagdad” (1818), though lesser-known, showcases all the melodic wit, rhythmic verve, and vocal brilliance that made Rossini the darling of Europe.

Rossini’s distinctive style, characterized by elegant melodies, rapid vocal passages, lively rhythms, and inventive orchestration, had a profound influence on nineteenth-century opera. His music combines theatrical energy with remarkable technical precision, allowing singers to display both virtuosity and expressive range. Even today, his operas remain staples of the international repertoire, admired for their wit, brilliance, and enduring freshness.

After retiring from the operatic stage at the height of his fame, he spent his later years in Paris as a revered cultural figure and gourmet.

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La gazzetta is a comic opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, with a libretto by Giuseppe Palomba (revised by Andrea Leone Tottola), which was first performed in Naples in 1816. The story is set in Paris, where the ambitious and ridiculous Neapolitan nobleman Don Pomponio Storione publishes an advertisement in a newspaper (‘La Gazzetta’) to find a husband for his daughter Lisetta through a marriage contest. Lisetta, however, is secretly in love with the young and shrewd innkeeper Filippo. The advertisement attracts various suitors and gives rise to a series of misunderstandings: Count Alberto is seeking a wife and mistakes Lisetta for Doralice (Don Anselmo’s daughter), whilst Madame La Rose and other characters become entangled in disguises and romantic deceptions.

In the second act, matters become more complicated with jealousy, mock duels, fainting spells and a chaotic Turkish-themed masked ball. After a series of misunderstandings and reconciliations, the truth emerges: Lisetta marries Filippo, Doralice marries Alberto, and Don Pomponio, though humiliated in his aspirations to nobility, accepts the marriages. The opera concludes with a cheerful choral finale celebrating love, the cunning of the young, and the triumph of spontaneity over the ridiculous conventions of their fathers.

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