About the work
Marco Spada is an opéra comique in three acts by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber to a libretto by Eugène Scribe, first performed on 21 December 1852 at the Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique (Salle Favart) in Paris.
Plot
In the Romagna around 1830, the bandit chief Marco Spada poses as the Baron of Torrida. His daughter Angela, unaware of his true identity, loves Count Federici, while the Roman governor Prince Osorio falls into the hands of Marco's gang while travelling with his niece, the Marchesa Sampieri. When Marco's double life is exposed, Angela nonetheless chooses to stay with her father.
Cultural significance
The opera's success led Auber to rework its music into a ballet in 1857 (choreography by Joseph Mazilier); this ballet, reconstructed by Pierre Lacotte in 1981, is today far more present in the repertoire than the original opera.