Il Furioso nell'isola di San Domingo premiered on January 2, 1833, at the Teatro Valle in Rome. It is a romantic melodramma in two acts, with a happy ending and a buffo character who acts as a foil for the madman's ravings. There is no comedy in the work, however. Rather it is imbued with human warmth and pathos, as the completely deranged and heartbroken Cardenio goes through attempted suicides and homicide, only to discover that his wife really does love him. The arias and ensembles of the opera are beautiful and carefully wrought. The librettist was the very patient Jacopo Ferretti. He based his story on Part I ofMiguel Cervantes' Don Quixote. At this point in his career, Donizetti had quite a bit of experience as a theater director in Naples. He was accustomed to working very closely with his librettists in order to arrive at the most succinct drama and the most effective scenes and musical constructions possible. He believed, above all, in brevity and clarity, rather than elaboration. His letters to Ferretti during their collaboration show his extreme attention to every detail, and he made many demands on his librettist. Donizetti loved the story to Il Furioso and was enthusiastic about Ferretti's text. He responded by creating some of the best musical characterizations of his entire operatic output. The premiere of the opera was a tremendous success, and the opera went on to play at La Scala in Milan. ~ Rita Laurance, All Music Guide
