Il matrimonio segreto
Encyclopedia
Il matrimonio segreto is an opera
in two acts, music by Domenico Cimarosa
, on a libretto
by Giovanni Bertati
, based on the play The Clandestine Marriage
by George Colman the Elder
and David Garrick
. It was first performed on February 7, 1792 in Vienna, at the Imperial Hofburg Theatre
, in the presence of Emperor Leopold II
.
apart from those by Mozart
. Its premiere was the occasion of the longest encore in operatic history; Leopold II was so delighted that he ordered supper served to the company and the entire opera repeated immediately after.
The Italian premiere of the opera was given at La Scala
in Milan on 17 February 1793 with Maria Gazzotti as Carolina and Vincenzo Del Moro as Paolino. England saw the work for the first time on 11 January 1794 at The King's Theatre in London and the following 6 August it was performed for the first time in Portugal at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
in Lisbon
with Domenico Caporalini as Carolina and Luigi Bruschi as Paolino. The French premiere was given by the Théâtre-Italien in Paris on 10 May 1801 with Teresa Strinasacchi Avogadro as Carolina and Gustavo Lazzarini as Paolino.
Il matrimonio segreto was first performed in the United States at the Italian Opera House in New York City on 8 January 1834. The Metropolitan Opera
presented the work for the first time on February 25, 1937 with Muriel Dickson
as Carolina, George Rasely
as Paolino, Natalie Bodanya
as Elisetta, Julius Huehn as Robinson, and Ettore Panizza
conducting.
Paolino has secretly married Geronimo's daughter Carolina. Their situation is complicated by Carolina's aunt Fidalma, who loves Paolino, and by the arrival of the Englishman Count Robinson who, although betrothed to Geronimo's other daughter Elisetta, falls in love with Carolina. After much scheming and amorous intrigue, the truth about the marriage is revealed and all ends happily.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in two acts, music by Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa was an Italian opera composer of the Neapolitan school...
, on a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Giovanni Bertati
Giovanni Bertati
Giovanni Bertati is an Italian librettist.In 1763, Bertati wrote his first libretto, La morte di Dimone , set to music by Antonio Tozzi. Two years later, L'isola della fortuna , based on Bertati's libretto and Andrea Luchesi's music, was performed in Vienna...
, based on the play The Clandestine Marriage
The Clandestine Marriage
The Clandestine Marriage is a comedy by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick, first performed in 1766 at Drury Lane. The idea came from one of William Hogarth's engravings.-Plot summary:...
by George Colman the Elder
George Colman the Elder
George Colman was an English dramatist and essayist, usually called "the Elder", and sometimes "George the First", to distinguish him from his son, George Colman the Younger....
and David Garrick
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
. It was first performed on February 7, 1792 in Vienna, at the Imperial Hofburg Theatre
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
, in the presence of Emperor Leopold II
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...
.
Performance history
Cimarosa's only work still to be regularly performed, it is arguably one of the greatest 18th century opera buffaOpera buffa
Opera buffa is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica’, ‘commedia per musica’, ‘dramma bernesco’, ‘dramma comico’, ‘divertimento giocoso' etc...
apart from those by Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
. Its premiere was the occasion of the longest encore in operatic history; Leopold II was so delighted that he ordered supper served to the company and the entire opera repeated immediately after.
The Italian premiere of the opera was given at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in Milan on 17 February 1793 with Maria Gazzotti as Carolina and Vincenzo Del Moro as Paolino. England saw the work for the first time on 11 January 1794 at The King's Theatre in London and the following 6 August it was performed for the first time in Portugal at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos is an opera house in Lisbon, Portugal. It was opened on July 30, 1793 by Queen Maria I as a replacement for the Tejo Opera House, which was destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake...
in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
with Domenico Caporalini as Carolina and Luigi Bruschi as Paolino. The French premiere was given by the Théâtre-Italien in Paris on 10 May 1801 with Teresa Strinasacchi Avogadro as Carolina and Gustavo Lazzarini as Paolino.
Il matrimonio segreto was first performed in the United States at the Italian Opera House in New York City on 8 January 1834. The Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
presented the work for the first time on February 25, 1937 with Muriel Dickson
Muriel Dickson
Muriel Dickson was a Scottish soprano who was particularly known for her performances in the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. After singing roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, she sang for four seasons with the Metropolitan Opera and went on to a concert career...
as Carolina, George Rasely
George Rasely
George Rasely was an American tenor who had an active career in operas, concerts, and musicals during the first half of the 20th century. He was also a frequent performer on American radio during 1920s through the 1940s. He won the National Music League singing competition in 1927 and the Walter W...
as Paolino, Natalie Bodanya
Natalie Bodanya
Natalie Bodanya was an American operatic soprano who had an active international career from the late 1920s through the 1940s...
as Elisetta, Julius Huehn as Robinson, and Ettore Panizza
Ettore Panizza
Ettore Panizza was an Argentinian conductor and composer, one of the leading conductors of the early 20th century. Panizza possessed technical mastery and was popular and influential during his time, widely admired by Richard Strauss.- Biography :Panizza was born in Buenos Aires, of Italian parents...
conducting.
Roles
| Role | Voice type Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types... |
Premiere cast, 7 February 1792 (Conductor Conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble... : – ) |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Irene Tomeoni |
| Elisetta | soprano | Giuseppina Nettelet |
| Fidalma | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Dorothea Bussani |
| Paolino | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Santi Nencini |
| Geronimo | bass | Giambattista Serafino Blasi |
| Count Robinson | bass | Francesco Benucci |
Synopsis
The action takes place in 18th century Bologna.Paolino has secretly married Geronimo's daughter Carolina. Their situation is complicated by Carolina's aunt Fidalma, who loves Paolino, and by the arrival of the Englishman Count Robinson who, although betrothed to Geronimo's other daughter Elisetta, falls in love with Carolina. After much scheming and amorous intrigue, the truth about the marriage is revealed and all ends happily.
Recordings
- 1951 – Alda NoniAlda NoniAlda Noni was an Italian soprano leggiero, one of the leading soubrette of the immediate postwar period.Born in Trieste, she first studied voice and piano in her native city, and completed her studies in Vienna...
, Ornella Rovere, Giulietta SimionatoGiulietta SimionatoGiulietta Simionato was an Italian mezzo-soprano. Her career spanned from the 1930s until her retirement in 1966.-Life:Born at Forlì, Romagna, she studied in Rovigo and Padua, and made her operatic debut at Montagnana in 1928...
, Cesare VallettiCesare VallettiCesare Valletti was an Italian operatic tenor, one of the leading tenore di grazia of the postwar era. He was much admired for his polished vocal technique, his musical refinement and elegance, and beauty of tone....
, Sesto BruscantiniSesto BruscantiniSesto Bruscantini was an Italian baritone, one of the greatest buffo singers of the post-war era, especially renowned in Mozart and Rossini....
, Antonio Cassinelli – Orchestra del Maggio Musicale FiorentinoMaggio Musicale FiorentinoMaggio Musicale Fiorentino is an annual opera festival which was founded in April 1933 by conductor Vittorio Gui with the aim of presenting contemporary and forgotten operas in visually dramatic productions. It was the first music festival in Italy. The first opera presented was Verdi's early...
, Manno Wolf-FerrariManno Wolf-FerrariManno Wolf-Ferrari was an Italian conductor, nephew of composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari.He studied in Venice and Siena, and quickly established himself as a leading conductor of the Italian opera repertory, which he performed widely in Italy but also abroad, notably in Monte-Carlo, London, Madrid, etc...
– (Warner Fonit) - 1956 – Graziella SciuttiGraziella SciuttiGraziella Sciutti was an Italian soprano opera singer and later vocal teacher and opera producer.-Career:Sciutti was born in Turin, Italy. Her parents were musical, her father being an organist; her mother was French...
, Eugenia RattiEugenia RattiEugenia Ratti is an Italian soprano, particularly associated with the Italian repertory.She was born in Genoa, Italy, and studied with her mother, and later took private lessons with Tito Schipa, and made her stage debut at Sestri Levante in 1954.In January 1955, she first appeared at the Teatro...
, Ebe StignaniEbe StignaniEbe Stignani was an Italian opera singer, who was pre-eminent in the dramatic mezzo-soprano roles of the Italian repertoire during a stage career of more than thirty years.-Career:...
, Luigi AlvaLuigi AlvaLuis Ernesto Alva y Talledo, better known as Luigi Alva is a Peruvian operatic tenor, active in the third quarter of the 20th century. He was admired for his purity of tone, the elegance of his phrasing and the clarity of his diction...
, Franco Calabrese – Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Nino SanzognoNino SanzognoNino Sanzogno was an Italian conductor and composer.He studied the violin with Guarneri and composition with Agostini at the Venice Liceo Musicale, and later conducting in Vienna with Hermann Scherchen...
- (EMI) - 1978 – Arleen AugerArleen AugerJoyce Arleen Auger was an American soprano singer, admired for her coloratura voice and interpretations of works by Bach, Handel, Haydn, Monteverdi, Gluck, and Mozart.-Biography:...
, Julia VaradyJulia VaradyJúlia Várady is a German soprano of Hungarian origin born in Nagyvárad, Hungary .At the age of six she began violin lessons at the music conservatory in Cluj-Napoca and then, aged fourteen, voice training with Emilia Popp...
, Julia HamariJulia HamariJulia Hamari, originally Hamari Júlia , is a Hungarian mezzo-soprano and alto singer in opera and concert, appearing internationally. She is an academic voice teacher in Stuttgart.- Professional career :...
, Ryland Davies, Dietrich Fischer-DieskauDietrich Fischer-DieskauDietrich Fischer-Dieskau is a retired German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous lieder performers of the post-war period and "one of the supreme vocal artists of the 20th century"...
, Alberto Rinaldi – English Chamber OrchestraEnglish Chamber OrchestraThe English Chamber Orchestra is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and the ECO Ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall...
, Daniel BarenboimDaniel BarenboimDaniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
– (Deutsche Grammophon) - 1991 – Susan Patterson, Janet WilliamsJanet WilliamsJanet Williams is an American soprano who has won international critical acclaim for performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, Paris Opera, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Opera de Lyon, Nice Opera, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Opera Geneva, Frankfurt Opera, Cologne Opera, Leipzig...
, Gloria Banditelli, William MatteuzziWilliam MatteuzziWilliam Matteuzzi is an Italian operatic tenor renowned for his impressive vocal range and prominent upper register, reaching a high F in full voice., which enabled him to participate in the recent revival of the tenore contraltino repertoire...
, Petteri Salomaa, Alfonso Antoniozzi, Orchestra of the Eastern Netherlands, Gabrielle Bellini – (Arts Music) - 2008 – Cinzia Forte, Priscille Laplace, Damiana Pinti, Alberto Rinaldi, Aldo Caputo – Orchestra & Chorus of the Opéra Royal de WallonieOpéra Royal de WallonieThe Opéra Royal de Wallonie ' is an opera house in Liège, Belgium, one of four situated in that country.- External links :*...
, Giovanni Antonini – (DynamicDynamic (record label)Dynamic is an Italian independent record label located in Genoa. Founded in 1978, it specialises in classical music and opera, especially rarely performed works and has produced several world premiere recordings...
)
Sources
- The Complete Dictionary of Opera & Operetta, James Anderson, (Wings Books, 1993) ISBN 0-517-09156-9