This Zurich production in the early 2000's was supposed to be a revival of this long forgotten Paisiello opera by Italian star mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, who portrayed the title role of Nina, the girl driven made by love.
The supporting cast is even and very capable.
As the lover of Nina, Lindoro, tenor Jonas Kaufmann, then in his early 30's, displayed a potential that really paved the way for his current star-studded career.
If Bartoli excelled as the 'mad girl' in vocal and acting, Kaufmann excelled in the dual role of the incognito shepherd boy as well as Lindoro, the lover driven away by Nina's father.
In the brief bonus excerpt on the production, Kaufmann explained the difficulty in singing the aria of the Shepherd with a bagpipe playing simultaneously on stage. He handled the aria exceedingly well, as well as other arias and duets in the rest of the opera.
The staging and sets are highly enjoyable, and the bonus excerpt on the production is a wonderful account on the work, the composer, as well as the production itself. Bravo!