Abu Hassan was first performed at the Residenz Theater in Munich on 4 June 1811, conducted by the composer.

[1] In London, it was produced in English at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1835, and in Italian at Drury Lane on 12 May 1870 (at the same time as Mozart's L'oca del Cairo), the translation being made by Salvatore Marchesi [it], and the dialogue set to recitative by Luigi Arditi.

After Fatime has set off, creditors enter Abu Hassan's house to collect money.

Mesrur, seeing Fatime lying on the divan, her husband in apparent distress at her side, runs back to tell the Caliph.

The opera has been recorded by Wolfgang Sawallisch, Leopold Ludwig, Gustav Kuhn and Gennady Rozhdestvensky, the last in Russian.

A recording by Heinz Rögner with the Staatskapelle Dresden features Ingeborg Hallstein, Peter Schreier and Theo Adam (RCA Classic / Sony BMG).