Ottoman Power and Operatic Emotions on the European Stage from the Siege of Vienna to the Age of Napoleon

CHAPTER NINE: An Ottoman Prince in the Romantic Imagination: The Libertine Adventures of Rossini’s Turkish Traveler



Rossini, Il turco in Italia (Milan 1814)
Prince Selim sings out a greeting to Italy upon his arrival:
“Bella Italia, alfin ti miro. Vi saluto, amiche sponde.”
(Beautiful Italy, at last I gaze upon you.  I greet you, friendly shores.)


















 

Rossini, Il turco in Italia (Milan 1814)
Duet for Selim and Fiorilla
Fiorilla:  In Italia certamente non si fa l’amor così.
Selim:  In Turchia sicuramente non si fa l’amor così.
(In Italy certainly one does not make love like that.
In Turkey definitely one does not make love like that)
Yet, their parallel phrases and ornamentations clearly demonstrate that they make love in exactly the same way.



 









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