Parts of Le nozze in villa were first performed when Donizetti was still in school studying with Simone Mayr, so it is an extremely early example of his operatic compositional style. Its first public performance took place in Mantua during the 1820-1821 Carnival opera season at the Teatro Vecchio. A revised version was also staged in 1822 in the city of Genoa. The score contains some good numbers, the highlight of which is a delightful trio in Act II. The libretto to this comic romance was written by Bartolomeo Merelli, an author who was later to become an important impresario at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. He based his subject on Kotzebue's Die Deutschen Kleinstadter.

© Rita Laurance, All Music Guide