One of the very few contemporary operas being staged in Italy, Mosca's work incorporates Shakespearean tragedies and comedies set in the Veneto, namely 'Othello', 'Romeo and Juliet', 'The Merchant of Venice' and 'Two Gentlemen of Verona'. Shakespeare himself appears as a character in the opera, along with characters from Goldini's plays and Mozart's Despina. This recording, commissioned by the Teatro La Fenice, celebrates the 300th anniversary of Venetian playwright and librettist Carlo Goldini. Pierluigi Melega's libretto is written in English, a language which offers greater opportunity for plays on words and whose rhythmic nature better suits Mosca's music.