About the work
Melodramma in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini to a libretto by Felice Romani, first performed on 14 February 1829 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. It was based on the novel 'L'Étrangère' (1825) by the Vicomte d'Arlincourt.
Plot
The mysterious stranger Alaide, living in seclusion by a lake in Brittany, arouses suspicion, but is loved by the young count Arturo, though he is already betrothed to Isoletta. When Arturo accidentally wounds Alaide's brother Valdeburgo in a dispute, Alaide comes under suspicion and is brought to trial, where it emerges that she is in fact Agnese, the repudiated queen of France. Forced by reasons of state to give Arturo up, he kills himself with his own sword in despair.
Cultural significance
Following 'Il pirata', La straniera became Bellini's next major success, reaching Paris, London and Vienna as far as New York within a few years. Contemporary critics particularly noted that Bellini dispensed with the purely virtuosic ornamentation of the older school in favour of long melodic lines — a trait that helped establish his later reputation as a master of sustained bel canto singing.