Il matrimonio segreto
| Domenico Cimarosa |
|---|
 |
|
Operas
|
Il matrimonio segreto (The Secret Marriage) 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 7 February 1792 at the Imperial Hofburg Theatre in Vienna in the presence of Emperor Leopold II.
Performance history
Cimarosa's only work still to be regularly performed, it is arguably one of the greatest 18th century opera buffa 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 25 February 1937 with Muriel Dickson as Carolina, George Rasely as Paolino, Natalie Bodanya as Elisetta, Julius Huehn as Robinson, and Ettore Panizza conducting.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 7 February 1792 (Conductor: – ) |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina | soprano | Irene Tomeoni |
| Elisetta | soprano or mezzo-soprano | Giuseppina Nettelet |
| Fidalma | mezzo-soprano | Dorothea Bussani |
| Paolino | tenor | 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 Noni, Ornella Rovere, Giulietta Simionato, Cesare Valletti, Sesto Bruscantini, Antonio Cassinelli – Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Manno Wolf-Ferrari – (Warner Fonit)
- 1956: Graziella Sciutti, Eugenia Ratti, Ebe Stignani, Luigi Alva, Franco Calabrese – Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Nino Sanzogno – (EMI)
- 1978: Arleen Auger, Júlia Várady, Julia Hamari, Ryland Davies, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Alberto Rinaldi – English Chamber Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim[1] – (Deutsche Grammophon)
- 1991: Susan Patterson, Janet Williams, Gloria Banditelli, William Matteuzzi, 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 Wallonie, Giovanni Antonini – (Dynamic)
References
Notes
- ↑ Winton Dean, Record review of Il matrimonio segreto. The Musical Times, 119(1623), 426 .
Sources
- Anderson, James, The Complete Dictionary of Opera & Operetta, Wings Books, 1993 ISBN 0-517-09156-9