Five operas inspired by 1,001 Nights

Weber Abu Hassan (1811)

The Mozart’s ‘Turkish’ Seraglio influence can be of heard which tells in Weber’s of how opera, the Caliph’s cup-bearer feigns death to pay off a debt to money-lender Omar. Cherubini Ali Baba (1833)

Cherubini took liberties with ‘Ali Baba’, portraying him as a wealthy merchant. Berlioz was not impressed, describing it as ‘one of the feeblest things Cherubini ever wrote’. Cornelius The Barber of Baghdad (1858)

This tale of a hairdresser turned-match maker( above) was such a failure at its Weimar premiere that the composer left town. Modern audiences have proved more appreciative. Reyer The Statue (1861)

Having lived for years in north Africa, Reyer had a natural feel for Arabic culture. The Statue – about a man’s lucky encounter with a genie – was a hit. Rabaud Mârouf, savetier du Caire (1914)

Rabaud’s richly oriental score portrays Mârouf, a hen-pecked cobbler who gains the love of a princess and, thanks to a magic ring, the riches to keep his future father-in-law happy.