Crispino e la comare (The Cobbler and the Fairy) is an opera by Luigi Ricci and Federico Ricci with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave.
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The premiere took place on 28 February 1850 at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice. The work was very popular during the 19th Century, and was an especial favourite of touring Italian companies in the Americas, and in the Asia-Pacific region generally.
It had its London premiere on 17 November 1857 at St James's Theatre, its Calcutta premiere in 1867 at the Calcutta Opera House[1] and its Australian premiere on 11 August 1871 at the Princess's Theatre, Melbourne.[2]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast[3] 28 February 1850 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Crispino Tachetto, the cobbler | bass | Carlo Cambiaggio |
| Fabrizio, a doctor | baritone | Luigi Rinaldini |
| Mirabolino, a doctor and apothecary | bass | Luigi Ciardi |
| Contino del Fioro, a Tuscan nobleman | tenor | Giuseppe Pasi |
| Don Astrubale di Caparotta, a Sicilian miser | bass | Angelo Guglielmini |
| Bortilo, a mason | tenor | |
| Annetta, Crispino's wife | soprano | Giovannina Pecorini |
| Lisetta | mezzo-soprano | Paolina Prinetti |
| La Comare, the fairy | mezzo-soprano | Giovannina Bordoni |
The scene of the story is set in 17th century Venice. Crispino is a poor cobbler who cannot make ends meet. He is helped by a fairy who encourages him to start practicing medicine, though he cannot even read. He is successful with the fairy’s help but cannot bear prosperity gracefully and mistreats his wife. The fairy makes him aware of his faults and the cobbler’s family is happily reunited.
A complete recording was made in 1994 by the San Remo Symphonic Orchestra. An Italian film based on the opera was produced in 1938, directed by Vincenzo Sorelli.