One of Rossini’s finest and most brilliant operas in the semi-serious genre, La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie) is based on a true story. A French servant girl was tried and executed for theft, but the real culprit was later discovered to be a magpie. Gherardini’s libretto combines both dramatic and comic elements, and Rossini’s music moves from a light-hearted, pastoral tone to one of deep tragedy and back.
           This affordable paperback reprint of Alberto Zedda’s critical edition contains the full orchestral score, together with an abridged introduction and critical notes in Italian and English.Â