LE PANTERE DI ALGERI

The feat of Baron Carlo di Sant’Elmo, his love for Countess Ida di Santafiora kidnapped by Barbary pirates, and the secret mission to rescue her in the picturesque yet perilous Algiers of 1630: these are the elements that inspired the composer in the musical portrayal of the homonymous novel by Salgari. The introduction brings us to the port of the city of the fearsome Panthers, and the following theme describes the heroic spirit of the protagonist; at the heart of the piece lies the love theme, which is the hero’s theme reversed like the other side of a coin: once bold and fearless, now somber and restless, anxious for his beloved; finally, the reprise brings this exotic and adventurous piece to a close.