Gabriella di Vergy
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Gabriella di Vergy is an opera seria in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti (1826, revised 1838), from a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on the tragedy Gabrielle de Vergy (1777) by Dormont De Belloy. The play was itself inspired by two French medieval legends, Le châtelain de Coucy et la dame de Fayel and Le Roman de la chastelaine de Vergy.
The story had already been the subject of an opera by Michele Carafa (1816) and had previously been used by Johann Simon Mayr (Raul di Créqui, Milan, 1809), Morlacchi (Raoul de Créqui, Dresden, 1811) and Coccia (Fayel , Florence, 1817). It was also subsequently used as Gabriella di Vergy by Mercadante in 1828.
Parts of the original version of the opera were re-used by Donizetti in his other operas Otto mesi in due ore (Naples, 1827), L’esule di Roma (Naples 1828), Il paria (Naples 1829) and Anna Bolena. For the revised version, Donizetti revisited Gabriella di Vergy and incorporated into the opera parts of Ugo, conte di Parigi (Milan 1832), Rosmonda d'Inghilterra (Florence 1834) and Maria de Rudenz (Venice 1838).
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[edit] Performance history
Donizetti's revised Gabriella di Vergy finally received its first performance on November 29, 1869 at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples, after the composer's death. The opera was rediscovered in 1978 by Don White and Patric Schmid.
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, November 29, 1869 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Gabriella di Vergy | soprano | Marcellina Lotti della Santa |
| Almeide, Fayel's sister | soprano | Carolina Certoné |
| Fayel, earl of Vermand | baritone | Giuseppe Villani |
| Raoul | tenor | Gottardo Aldighieri |
| Filippo Augusto | bass | Marco Arati |
| Armando, Fayel's friend | bass | Memmi |
| Fayel's relatives, Gabriella's bridesmaids', followers of Filippo, people" | ||
[edit] Selected recordings
- A recording was made in 1978 in London of the complete opera by the Peter Moores Foundation on the Opera Rara label. The cast includes Ludmilla Andrew in the title role, Christian Duplessis, Maurice Arthur, and John Tomlinson. This also includes selected scenes from the earlier (1826) version with Eiddwen Harrhy as Gabriella and Della Jones. Geoffrey Mitchell Choir, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Alun Francis. ORC 3.
- (1994, London). Jennifer Rhys-Davies, Jonathan Viera, Karl Morgan Daymond, Claire Daniels, Ivan Sharpe, Paul Nilon, Geoffrey Mitchell Choir, Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. David Parry. Opera Rara. ORCH 104.
[edit] External links
- Libretto (Italian)
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