Last Saturday, Florian Leopold Gassmann’s *L’opera seria* celebrated its premiere.

Chaotic rehearsals, hysterical divas, overprotective mothers, and finally the (delightful) fiasco: No, this isn’t the stuff of a contemporary opera, but rather a work that premiered in 1769 as *L’opera seria* at what was then the Burgtheater. With L’opera seria, composer Florian Leopold Gassmann and his librettist Ranieri de’ Calzabigi wrote the most over-the-top opera parody of the 18th century.

Director Laurent Pelly, who masterfully combines satirical bite and comedy in his productions, brings L’opera seria back to the city of its premiere. Christophe Rousset, a specialist in 18th-century music who is a regular guest at the MusikTheater an der Wien, conducts his ensemble Les Talens Lyriques.

The audience thanked everyone involved with a long round of applause.