The libretto of Sly was written, originally for Puccini, by Giovacchino Forzano, based on the Induction (the Prologue) to Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.

The German version of the libretto, Sly, oder Die Legende vom wiedererweckten Schläfer, was translated into Italian by Walter Dahms [de].

Turin heard Sly in February 1928, before the run at La Scala was finished, with Nino Piccaluga [it] in the title role and Valeria Manna as Dolly.

The "Canzone dell'orso" was done by Nino Piccaluga, who sang the work in Turin and Trieste, while both that and "No, non sono un buffone" was recorded by several other singers including Francesco Merli and Alessandro Valente.

The complete opera was recorded in German at the Staatsoper Hannover after a series of live performances in 1982, with Hans-Dieter Bader in the title role, Deborah Polaski as Dolly, and chorus and orchestra conducted by Robert Maxym.

[1][3] The complete opera on Legato Classics was conducted on May 17, 1998 by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, with José Carreras (Sly), Juan Pons (The Count of Westmoreland), Daniela Dessi (Dolly), Carlos Chausson (John Plake), Piotr Beczala (A French Nobleman), Martin Zysset (A Negro), Volker Vogel (An Indian), Peter Keller (An Old Servant), Rudolf Hartmann (A Chinese), Jee-Hyun Kim (A Doctor), Stefania Kaluza (The Innkeeper), Capucine Chiaudani (Rosalina), Rory Bain (Snare), Gabriela Palikkruscheva (A Page), Miroslav Christoff (A Waiter), Anderson Marks (A Judge), Juuso Hemminski (A Soldier), and Heikki Yrttiaho (A Cook).