Verdi was rather ill-suited to comedy, and this one was forced upon him when his impresario needed an opera buffa rather than an opera seria. It wasn't until Falstaff that he wrote another. The timing for this comedy was unfortunate, as Verdi was recovering from the deaths of both his children, only a year apart, even before he started the work, and shortly after he began, his wife died. It's not surprising, then, that he followed the models of Donizetti and Rossini in this work, with only a few hints of an individualistic touch. The plot is Rossinian—the Cavaliere Belfiore is a Figaro-like good-hearted meddler, and there are definite hints of Donizetti'sElisir in the music.

Despite all this, the opera has more than a little old-fashioned charm. The tunes are vigorous and enjoyable, and the characterization is lively, if standardized. The Marchesa's aria could stand up to Rosina's enchanting aria from Barbiere, and the duet for Edoardo and Belfiore is a captivating bit of hummable fluff. Alert listeners can keep an eye out for ideas that the composer was to use later, such as sections of Giulietta's opening recitative, which resemble that between Elvira's aria and cabaletta in Ernani.

© All Music Guide