L’Isola disabitata

L’Isola disabitata, with libretto by Mestastasio and music by Manuel del Popolo Garcia, is one of his salon operas, intended to be performed by his students in Paris. Set on a deserted island, L’isola disabitata weaves love and loss into a happy ending, Gracia’s version is lighter than that of Haydn’s opera by the same name and based to the same libretto. The work is originally conceived with the accompaniment of a solo keyboard. Manuel Garcia was a leading proponent of the belcanto srtyle. An excellent composer in his own right, Manuel García was one of the greatest exponents of the belcanto style. He was the original Almaviva in the first production of Rossini’s “il Barbiere di Siviglia”. He was the father of Maria Malibran, and Manuel Garcia Jr. key figures of the belcanto style.