The first French opera by Gaetano Donizetti staged in Paris, this opéra-comique in two acts on a libretto by Jean-François-Alfred Bayard and Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges is part of Donizetti’s feverish activity in the French Capital in 1839-40. It was on February 11, 1840, that it debuted, and in that occasion, Hector Berlioz commented “an invasion war. We won’t speak of Paris’ opera theatres no more – but Donizetti’s”. After a cold welcome, the Fille met growing success, so much so that by the turn of the century, it ran a thousand times already, which was a record for a non-French composer. This new staging at Fenice, a cooperation with the Teatro Regio di Torino, sees the musical direction of Stefano Ranzani and performances by John Osborn (Tonio), Maria Grazia Schiavo (Marie), and Marisa Laurito (Duchesse Krakenthorp – spoken part.)
