Gaetano Donizetti // A csengő

What to do when the bell rings in the middle of an amorous encounter at night? And then it rings again, and again, and again? Gaetano Donizetti presents this awkward situation with his typical intricate sense of humour, and shows us how an unwanted husband can be kept away from his marriage bed with the help of some cunning and disguise. Donizetti’s comic opera Il campanello was created in an especially difficult period for the Teatro Nuovo theatre in Naples. It was premiered in 1836, when the composer – and in this case librettist – wanted to help the director and artists of the theatre with the problems caused by the cholera epidemic and financial difficulties. His efforts were successful, and his new work became incredibly popular across Europe in an instant. There were some changes made to the piece over the years, for example the originally spoken dialogues were turned into recitatives, and the Neapolitan dialect of the buffo character that carried a strong comic effect was “translated” into Italian with the permission of the composer. The newest production of the Hungarian State Opera was staged by Attila Toronykőy.