La buona figliuola
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| Operas by Niccolò Piccinni |
|---|
Le donne vendicate (1763) |
La Cecchina, ossia La buona figliuola (Cecchina, or The Good-Natured Girl) is an opera buffa in three Acts by Niccolò Piccinni. The libretto, by Carlo Goldoni, is based on Samuel Richardson's novel Pamela. This was Piccinni's most successful Italian opera.
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[edit] Performance history
It was first performed at the Teatro delle Dame, Rome on 6 February 1760 with Borghese, Savi, De Cristofori, Lovattini and Casaccia. It was given in London on 25 November 1766 with Gaetano Guadagni, Savi, Lovattini, Morigi, Quercioli, Piatti, and Michele.
[edit] Roles
| Cast | Voice type | Premiere, February 6, 1760 |
|---|---|---|
| Cecchina, a maid | soprano | |
| Armidoro, engaged to Lucinda | soprano | |
| The marquis of Conchiglia, in love with Cecchina | tenor | |
| Lucinda, the marquis' sister | soprano | |
| Mengotto, a poor man in love with Cecchina | baritone | |
| Paoluccia, a maid | mezzo-soprano | |
| Sandrina, a maid | soprano | |
| Tagliaferro, a German soldier | baritone |
[edit] Synopsis
The marquis of Conchiglia has fallen in love with Cecchina who is a maid. Shocked by the social impropriety of such a match, Cavaliere Armidoro, the fiancee of the marquis's sister, refuses to marry Lucinda. Distraught over losing the man she loves, Lucinda begs the marquis to stop seeing Cecchina. Meanwhile Cecchina has several problems of her own, including Mengotto, a poor man who is enfattuated with her and won't leave her alone, and Sandrina and Paoluccia, two jealous maids who try to cause as much trouble for Cecchina as they can. After many plot twists, the opera ends well when Tagliaferro, a German soldier, reveals that Cecchina is in fact the daughter of a German baron, which enables Cecchina to marry the Marchese without upsetting Armidoro.
[edit] Recordings
Piccinni: La Cecchina o sia La buona figliola - Orchestra Serenissima Pro Arte
- Conductor: Bruno Campanella
- Principal singers: Alessandra Ruffini, Bruno Pratico, Gabriella Morigi, Giuseppe Morino, Maria Angeles Peters
- Recording date:January 8, 2002
- Label: Nuova Era - B00005YD7U (CD)
[edit] Source
- The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992), 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5
- Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)
[edit] External links
A Taped Performance of La Buona Figliuola by the Northwestern University School of Music: [1]
