Composers and their stage works 



A Curious Mishap

(Un curioso accidente)

Carlo Goldoni - 1757.

Cornedy of intrigue constructed on conventional lines.

Lieutenant de la Cotterie, a penniless Frenchman convalescing at the home of Filiberto, a rich Dutch merchant, falls in love with his host's daughter Giannina. He decides to leave rather than torture himself with impossible expectations, but Giannina convinces him to stay. When Filiberto becomes suspicious of the lieutenant's behaviour, Giannina tells him that he is in love with Costanza, the daughter of her father's business rival. Filiberto, much to the discomfort of the lovers, offers to help the Frenchman elope with Costanza. The lieutenant follows his advice but elopes with Giannina instead. Filiberto later admits that the match was his own doing.