L'Alidoro

Last updated

L'Alidoro is a 1740 comic opera by Leonardo Leo. [1] The opera was rediscovered with other three other Leo operas at the Abbey of Montecassino. [2]

Contents

Characters

Giangrazio is the father of Don Marciello and Alidoro, but the latter has disappeared.

Giangrazio's brother, Lamberto is now dead and has left behind a daughter, Elisa, and a step-daughter, Faustina. Faustina is already in love with Luigi, and Elisa falls in love with Ascanio. Giangrazio plans to marry Don Marciello to Faustina.

Luigi and Ascanio are in fact only one: Luigi has accepted a position as a servant in Giangrazio's house under the name of Ascanio in order to be close to Faustina, whom he loves. Towards the end, it turns out that Luigi/Ascanio is in fact Alidoro. The role of Luigi is played by a soprano.

Don Marciello must obey his father and marry Faustina, but is in love with Zeza. Giangrazio also falls in love with Zeza.

Zeza, the innkeeper, and Meo, the miller, love each other.

The plot is set near Naples in the area of the present Poggioreale district. The time is the 15th century.

Synopsis

Act One

Elisa interrupts a rendezvous between Faustina and Luigi/Ascanio and sits down with them. Meo and Zeza also appear. Meo plays a love song on a colascione that Luigi admires. Meo and Zeza then sing a duet. When Don Marciello appears and sings along, they leave in disgust. Elisa and Faustina also find his behavior impertinent. Don Marciello reflects on his unrequited love for Zeza and his unwanted marriage to Faustina.

Giangrazio complains about the wasted education of Don Marciello, who prefers to spend his life in pleasure and refuses to marry Faustina. He then tries to sound out Meo about his son's relationship with Zeza. This arouses Meo's jealousy, and shortly afterwards he makes Zeza feel his suspicion. Zeza is displeased about this. She finds Don Marcellio's advances annoying, and she feels neglected by Meo.

Elisa declares her love to Ascanio. He tells Faustina about it and assures her of his loyalty. However, she fears that he might leave her for Elisa.

Giangrazio asks Zeza about her relationship with Don Marciello. She tells him how she disapproves of his intrusions. When Don Marciello arrives, Giangrazio reproaches him for this. Don Marciello suspects that his father has fallen in love with her himself. Meo also appears and sees Zeza with Don Marciello. The first act ends in wild insults from everyone involved.

Act Two

In front of the inn, Don Marciello approaches Zeza again and asks for wine. She serves him only reluctantly and does not want to accept his generous tip. The jealous Meo comes along and cynically urges her to accept the money. Ascanio also appears. Meo explains that he wants nothing more to do with Zeza and that Don Marciello has a free hand. In contrast to him, Don Marciello is wealthy and also has a prettier face. Don Marciello and Meo leave. Luigi is astonished that Zeza seems to have given up Meo so quickly in favour of Don Marciello. His joy at the fact that Faustina is now free for him is, however, interrupted by Elisa, who is still hoping that he will return her love. When he rejects her, Elisa swears revenge. But Luigi is confident that she will soon calm down again.

Elisa complains to Faustina about Ascanio's behaviour. Faustina fears that Ascanio may have secretly fallen in love with her.

Meo complains to Giangrazio about Zeza and Don Marciello, thus strengthening his interest in Zeza. When she arrives, he curses her. Zeza bursts into tears. She assures Giangrazio that she never harmed his son. She kisses his hand to confirm. Giangrazio's confusion grows.

When Meo cynically asks Zeza if she has any admirers besides the father and son, she recognizes Giangrazio's infatuation. Meo leaves the house angry. Zeza despairs of men and love.

Elisa implements her plan of revenge against Ascanio. She tells Giangrazio that he tried to seduce her. Giangrazio decides to dismiss him.

In the presence of Faustina, Giangrazio throws Ascanio out. Faustina suspects Elisa is behind it.

Don Marciello demands a declaration of love from Zeza, but she rejects him again. Meo arrives. While Zeza disappears for a moment in the inn, he sings a Sicilian song. Then Don Marciello and Meo start a loud game (a morra) to annoy her. Giangrazio joins in and first argues with Meo, then with Don Marciello. Neither Giangrazio nor Don Marciello want to admit to each other that they are in love with Zeza and ask her to confirm her innocence.

Act Three

Elisa confesses to Faustina the reason for her anger: her unrequited love for Ascanio. She would get Giangrazio to hire him back only if he returned her love.

Faustina tells Luigi about Elisa's confession. Luigi suggests that she should tell Elisa of his undying love for her. If Elisa wants to be deceived, she should be. Faustina asks forgiveness for her jealousy.

Giangrazio offers Ascanio to rehire him if he ensures that Don Marciello and Faustina marry that very evening.

Giangrazio tries to convince Ascanio that he (Giangrazio) pretended to be in love with Zeza only in order to get Don Marciello to give her up. Ascanio should therefore convince Zeza of his (Giangrazio's) love. Ascanio does not believe a word of it. Nevertheless, he decides to continue to serve Giangrazio to make sure that everything turns out well.

Meo watches from a hiding place as Don Marciello courts Zeza again. She explains to him that she wants nothing to do with him or his father and drives him away with blows. This convinces Meo that Don Marciello is not a serious rival. Giangrazio appears and asks Zeza if she has seen his servant. Seeing that Ascanio has not yet completed his mission, he decides to wait for him. Zeza tries in vain to send him away. She finally withdraws angrily to the inn. Now Meo is also reassured about her relationship with Giangrazio. Finally Ascanio comes. Giangrazio urges him to give Zeza his message while he tries to hide. Meo realizes that Giangrazio does not want to give up Zeza under any circumstances. He gets himself a sword and demands Giangrazio's supposed helper Ascanio to fight. Giangrazio, Faustina and Elisa try to separate the two. Don Marciello returns and also draws his sword against Ascanio, who can fend him off, however.

Meo is now completely convinced of Zeza's loyalty. The two are reconciled.

During the fight Ascanio is slightly injured at his shoulder. Thereby a birthmark in form of two golden wings has become visible. Giangrazio recognizes from this that Ascanio is his second son Alidoro, who was believed lost and whom his mother had named after this mark ("ali d'oro" - "golden wings"). Elisa now understands her affection for him, because they are close relatives. When Don Marciello returns to continue the fight with Ascanio, Giangrazio introduces him as his brother. Alidoro admits to having worked as Ascanio's servant only for appearances' sake in order to be close to his beloved Faustina. As a child, after being lost on the beach in Genoa, he was raised by a Genoese man under the name of Luigi.

At the request of Don Marcello, Giangrazio gives his blessing to Alidoro and Faustina. Don Marcellio's own hopes for Zeza are disappointed, however, as she has meanwhile become engaged to Meo. Instead, Giangrazio suggests that he marry Elisa. The opera ends in general joy.

Recordings

Francesca Russo Ermolli (Elisa), M. Grazia Schiavo (Faustina), Valentina Varriale (Zeza), Maria Ercolano (Luigi), G. De Vittorio (Don Marcello), Gianpiero Ruggeri (Meo) & Francesco Morace (Giangrazio) Baroque Orchestra Cappella Della Pietà Dei Turchini, Antonio Florio

Related Research Articles

<i>Serse</i> 1738 opera seria by Handel

Serse is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. It was first performed in London on 15 April 1738. The Italian libretto was adapted by an unknown hand from that by Silvio Stampiglia (1664–1725) for an earlier opera of the same name by Giovanni Bononcini in 1694. Stampiglia's libretto was itself based on one by Nicolò Minato (ca.1627–1698) that was set by Francesco Cavalli in 1654. The opera is set in Persia about 470 BC and is very loosely based upon Xerxes I of Persia. Serse, originally sung by a mezzo-soprano castrato, is now usually performed by a female mezzo-soprano or countertenor.

<i>La Cenerentola</i> Opera by Gioachino Rossini

La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera Cendrillon with music by Nicolas Isouard and by Francesco Fiorini for Agatina, o la virtù premiata with music by Stefano Pavesi. All these operas are versions of the fairy tale Cendrillon by Charles Perrault. Rossini's opera was first performed in Rome's Teatro Valle on 25 January 1817.

<i>Il re pastore</i> Opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Il re pastore is an opera, K. 208, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Metastasio, edited by Giambattista Varesco. It is an opera seria. The opera was first performed on 23 April 1775 in Salzburg in the Rittersaal of the Residenz-Theater in the palace of the Archbishop Count Hieronymus von Colloredo.

<i>The Imaginary Invalid</i> Comedy ballet by Molière

The Imaginary Invalid, The Hypochondriac, or The Would-Be Invalid is a three-act comédie-ballet by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. It premiered on 10 February 1673 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris and was originally choreographed by Pierre Beauchamp.

<i>Tolomeo</i> Opera by Georg Friedrich Händel

Tolomeo, re d'Egitto is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text by Nicola Francesco Haym, adapted from Carlo Sigismondo Capece's Tolomeo et Alessandro. It was Handel's 13th and last opera for the Royal Academy of Music (1719) and was also the last of the operas he composed for the triumvirate of internationally renowned singers, the castrato Senesino and the sopranos Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni.

<i>Lucio Silla</i> Opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Lucio Silla, K. 135, is an Italian opera seria in three acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 16. The libretto was written by Giovanni de Gamerra, revised by Pietro Metastasio.

<i>Enrico di Borgogna</i> Opera by Gaetano Donizetti

Enrico di Borgogna is an opera eroica or "heroic" opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Bartolomeo Merelli, wrote the Italian libretto based on Der Graf von Burgund by August von Kotzebue.

<i>Los ricos también lloran</i> Mexican TV series or program

Los ricos también lloran is a popular telenovela produced in Mexico in 1979, starring Verónica Castro, Rogelio Guerra and Rocío Banquells. Castro also sang the theme Aprendí a Llorar, a song written by Lolita de la Colina. The telenovela was produced by Valentín Pimstein and Carlos Romero, it was directed by Rafael Banquells. The story was written by Inés Rodena and adapted by Valeria Philips.

<i>Mannequin</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by Frank Borzage

Mannequin is a 1937 American drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy, and Alan Curtis. Crawford plays Jessie, a young working class woman who seeks to improve her life by marrying her boyfriend, only to find out that he is no better than what she left behind. She meets a self-made millionaire with whom she falls in love despite his financial problems.

<i>Orontea</i>

Orontea is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the Italian composer Antonio Cesti with a libretto by Giacinto Andrea Cicognini.

<i>Perro amor</i> (American TV series) American TV series or program

Perro Amor is a Spanish-language telenovela produced by the United States-based television network Telemundo that originally ran in the United States from January to July 2010. This is a Colombian remake of the 1998 Cenpro Televisión daily telenovela Perro Amor, written by Natalia Ospina and Andrés Salgado. As with most of its other telenovelas, Telemundo broadcast English subtitles as closed captions on CC3.

<i>Valientes</i> Argentine TV series or program

Valientes is a telenovela from Argentina, aired by Canal 13 at the prime time and produced by Pol-Ka. Main actors are Luciano Castro, Julieta Díaz and Arnaldo André, and it is one of the most successful TV programs from Argentina of 2009. With a daily rating of nearly 27,4 points, it is the most successful production of Pol-Ka. It run from February 2009 to 2010. From April 16, 2010 the show was airing in Slovakia on JOJ Plus but due to poor ratings it was cancelled after 48 episodes, the rest of the episodes start broadcast on JOJ Plus from March 6, 2012 taking the slot at 4 AM.

<i>Elisa e Claudio</i>

Elisa e Claudio, ossia L'amore protetto dall'amicizia is a two-act melodramma semiseria by the 19th Century Italian composer Saverio Mercadante from a libretto by Luigi Romanelli based on the play, Rosella by Filipo Casari. It received its premiere performance at La Scala in Milan on 30 October 1821.

La Spinalba is an opera in three acts, with music by Francisco António de Almeida to an Italian-language libretto whose author is unknown. It was premiered in the Portuguese Carnival season of 1739 at the Palácio da Ribeira, Lisbon.

<i>Admeto</i> Opera by George Frideric Handel

Admeto, re di Tessaglia is a three-act opera written for the Royal Academy of Music with music composed by George Frideric Handel to an Italian-language libretto prepared by Nicola Francesco Haym. The story is partly based on Euripides' Alcestis. The opera's first performance was at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 31 January 1727. The original cast included Faustina Bordoni as Alcestis and Francesca Cuzzoni as Antigona, as Admeto was the second of the five operas that Handel composed to feature specifically these two prime donne of the day.

<i>The Italian Key</i> 2011 Finnish film

The Italian Key is a 2011 film directed and written by Rosa Karo. The film follows the story of Cabella, a 19-year-old orphan girl, who travels to Italy after she has inherited an old key from her unrelated Uncle Max.

Elisa di Rivombrosa is an Italian television series about a love story in 18th century Italy between Fabrizio Ristori, a young Italian Count, and his mother's maid, Elisa. It was broadcast on Mediaset for two seasons from 2003 to 2005:

<i>Agujetas de color de rosa</i> Mexican telenovela

Agujetas de color de rosa is a Mexican telenovela produced by Luis de Llano Macedo for Televisa in 1994.

The Black Angel is a 1942 Mexican drama film directed by Juan Bustillo Oro, who co-wrote the screenplay with Humberto Gómez Landero and co-produced the film with Jesús Grovas.

<i>Siface, re di Numidia</i> Libretto by Pietro Metastasio

Siface re di Numidia is a libretto in three acts by Pietro Metastasio. It is a reworking of La forza della virtù by de:Domenico David and was Metastasio's first work as a librettist. it was first performed with a setting to music by Francesco Feo on 13 May 1723 at the Teatro San Bartolomeo, Naples.

References

  1. ↑ Hermann Abert, Assistant Professor of Music Cliff Eisen, Cliff Eisen - W. A. Mozart - Page 291 0300072236 2007 Leonardo Leo's opere buffe are written in the same style as Vinci's, except that there is a more pronounced tendency here to include more serious songs. ... The quartet in act one, scene fourteen of L'Alidoro (1740), for example, is a canon.
  2. ↑ Graham Hood. Leonardo Leo (1694-1744) and His Comic Operas Amor vuol sofferenze and Alidoro (Ph.D., Musicology, Cornell Univ., 1973).


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.