About the work
Musical comedy in three acts by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari to a libretto by Luigi Sugana, based on Carlo Goldoni’s comedy of the same name (1753). The German version premiered at the Munich Hoftheater on 27 November 1903; the Italian-language premiere followed only in 1912, at the Metropolitan Opera under Arturo Toscanini.
Plot
In Venice around 1750, several wives grow suspicious that their husbands are meeting in a locked club room for love affairs or gambling. Through cunning, disguise and stolen keys, the curious women try to gain entry. When they finally succeed, they discover to their surprise that the men are merely enjoying an innocent supper together.
Cultural significance
The work brought Wolf-Ferrari his first success beyond Italy and opened the series of his Munich-based Goldoni settings, blending stock figures of the commedia dell’arte with the sound world of Venetian operetta.