La scala di seta

Rossini was just 20 years old, his great operatic calling-card The Barber of Seville still four years off, when he premiered the one-act comedy La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder) in Venice in 1812. Yet from the slithering urgency and fizzing, mischievous energy of the Overture’s first bars it’s evident that the mature composer is already within earshot. You can see the outline of Barber taking shape in the plot of this compact farce that pits young lovers Giulia and Dorvil (who have already married in secret, and undertake nightly trysts in her bedroom with the aid of the title’s silken ladder) against Giulia’s tutor and guardian Dormont—determined she should marry his friend, army officer Blansac. A scheme to divert Blansac’s attentions to Giulia’s cousin Lucilla proves successful, presenting Dormont with a romantic fait accompli that, in the climactic final scene, forces both his hand and his blessing. The opera’s lively Overture remains popular as a stand-alone concert piece, setting the tone for the breathless, continuously unfolding action that follows. Highlights include the characterful expository duet for Giulia and family retainer Germano “Io so ch’hai buon core”; a graceful showpiece for Dorvil “Vedrò qual sommo incanto”—proving him every bit the musical match for Giulia, whose own “Il mio ben sospiro” sparkles demurely with flutes; and Lucilla’s more robust “Sento talor nell’anima”.