One widow, four suitors, zero patience for nonsense — the 18th century's most chaotic dating show.
Wolf-Ferrari’s comic opera La vedova scaltra (The Cunning Widow), is among the works he based on plays by Goldoni. It matches closely the conventions of 18th-century opera buffa in its witty if sceptical look at the mechanisms governing the interplay of human relations. Four hopeful suitors, English, French, Spanish and Italian, vie for the hand of Rosaura, the cunning widow of the title, who disguises herself to meet each wooer, eventually choosing the only one who can demonstrate his sincerity. This production, filmed live at the Teatro La Fenice in February 2007 in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Goldoni in Venice in 1707, is the first to appear on DVD.
Production
La Fenice's 300th Goldoni anniversary staging — pure Venetian opulence.
Costume
Rosaura's disguises are character commentary through fabric alone.
Acting
Anne-Lise Sollied plays four versions of one woman flawlessly.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Wolf-Ferrari built his career resurrecting Goldoni's comedies, making him the 1900s' most successful 18th-century revivalist.
This 2007 performance celebrated exactly 300 years since Goldoni's birth in Venice — the production leaned hard into local pride.
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