Carlo Diacono’s ‘L'Alpino’ is set during World War 1, and tells the love story of a young Italian couple - Enzo, a mountaineer hunter and Nella, a village girl - living in a mountain village situated in war torn Austro-Hungarian territory contested by Italy. 

The opera was composed at a time when Malta was on the cusp of many political and social changes.  and was first performed a year before the 1919 riots against British rule.  During this period Malta’s political allegiances and affinities with Italy and England were being contested, markedly through the Language Question which brought to the fore the differences between the island’s pro-British and pro-Italian factions.  This complex situation is to be placed within the context of irridentism, which originated from Italy's aspirations to retrieve territories it had lost during the independence wars (the Trentino and Trieste, otherwise known as terre irridente) and had evolved into similar claims on other territories, including Malta. It is in this spirit that Diacono's work -  evoking these political undertones, together with feelings of patriotism and nationalism – is to be understood.

Over a hundred years after its premiere at the Royal Opera House in 1918, L’Alpino will now be performed at the National Library in Valletta on October 1st, as an homage to its great contribution to the oeuvre of Maltese music, literature and socio-political history. 

Under the musical direction of Mro Brian Schembri, the public will be invited to a piano concert version of this opera, where soprano Miriam Cauchi will perform as Nella, tenor Alan Sciberras as Enzo, baritone Louis Andrew Cassar as Nella’s unwanted suitor, Andrea, mezzo soprano Clare Ghigo as Nella’s mother, Anna Rosa, and bass Noel Galea as Nella’s step-father, Franz.

Adreça
Triq it-Tezorerija, VLT 0004 Valletta, Malta