About the work
L'intrigo della lettera is a one-act farsa giocosa by Johann Simon Mayr to a libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa, based on Fabre d'Églantine's comedy L'intrigue épistolaire. It premiered in 1797 at the Teatro San Moisè in Venice and is also known under the title Il pittore astratto.
Plot
A mistaken letter sets off a plot of romantic intrigue, until the misunderstandings between the characters are resolved at the end.
Cultural significance
Mayr had actually agreed with the Teatro San Moisè to deliver a full-length opera buffa for autumn 1797, but delivered two shorter farces instead, L'intrigo della lettera and Il segreto. The piece was already being staged at the Teatro San Carlos in Lisbon by 1798.