Rossini’s La gazza ladra streams free from Wildbad

OperaVision presents Rossini in Wildbad’s production of the rarely heard Neapolitan version of the opera, conducted by José Miguel Pérez-Sierra.

Gioachino Rossini: La gazza ladra
Rossini in Wildbad
Friday, 25 September 2026
19:00 CET / 17:00 GMT
Free on OperaVision
Available until 25 March 2027
Sung in Italian, with Italian, German and English subtitles

OperaVision will stream Rossini’s La gazza ladra free from 25 September, in a production recorded at the Rossini in Wildbad festival in Germany on 1 August 2026.

Rather than presenting the opera solely in its familiar Milan version, the production draws on the largely unknown Neapolitan version of 1819/20, including three alternative arias. Rossini in Wildbad describes the staging as the first modern presentation of this version.

A darker side of Rossini

Premiered at La Scala in 1817, La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie) is one of Rossini’s semiseria operas, combining comic elements with a story that becomes strikingly dark.

Ninetta, a young servant in love with Giannetto, is accused of stealing silver from her employers. As the evidence against her accumulates, she faces a death sentence — until the real culprit, the magpie of the title, is discovered.

The opera is particularly famous for its overture and its distinctive drum rolls. In La gazza ladra, however, Rossini’s rhythmic brilliance accompanies a drama centred not simply on a mischievous bird but on the severity and potential injustice of the legal system.

From Rossini in Wildbad

The production is directed by festival director Jochen Schönleber and conducted by José Miguel Pérez-Sierra, with the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus.

Claudia Muschio sings Ninetta, with Patrick Kabongo as Giannetto, Emmanuel Franco as Fernando Villabella, Nathanaël Tavernier as Gottardo and Francesca Di Sauro as Cecchino/Pippo. The cast also includes Matteo Torcaso, Gaja Vittoria Pellizzari, Davide Zaccherini, Timoteo Bene Junior and Giovanni Accardi.

The performance was recorded on 1 August during the 2026 Rossini in Wildbad Belcanto Opera Festival.

The stream begins on Friday, 25 September at 19:00 CET (17:00 GMT) and will remain available free on OperaVision until 25 March 2027.