Italian Opera

Composer: Umberto Giordano Librettist: Luigi Illica Premiere: 28 March 1896, Milan (La Scala) Language: Italian Subtitles: Italian, English, French, German, Spanish Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/giordano/andrea-chenier/synopsis/ Cast & Characters: Andrea Chénier, a poet: Luciano Pavarotti Carlo Gérard, a servant: Juan Pons Maddalena di Coigny: Maria Guleghina Bersi, her maid: Wendy White La comtesse di Coigny: Judith Christin Pietro Fléville, a novelist: Christopher Schaldenbrand Mathieu, a sans-culotte: Paul Plishka The Abbé, a poet: Bernard Fitch The Incredible, a spy: Michel Sénéchal Major-domo: Bradley Garvin Roucher, a friend of Chénier: Haijing Fu Madelon, an old woman: Stephanie Blythe Dumas, President of the Tribunal: Jeffrey Wells Fouquier-Tinville, the Public Prosecutor: Yanni Yannissis Schmidt, a jailer at St. Lazare: Richard Vernon The Metropolitan Orchestra and Chorus Conductor James Levine Production Nicolas Joel Set and Costume Designer: Humbert Monloup TV Director Brian Large Andrea Chénier is a verismo opera in four acts by Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed on 28 March 1896 at La Scala, Milan. The story is based loosely on the life of the French poet André Chénier (1762–1794), who was executed during the French Revolution. The character Carlo Gérard is partly based on Jean-Lambert Tallien, a leading figure in the Revolution. It remains popular with audiences, though less frequently performed than in the first half of the 20th century. One reason for its survival in the repertoire is the lyrical-dramatic music provided by Giordano for the tenor lead, which gives a talented singer opportunities to demonstrate his skills and flaunt his voice. Giuseppe Borgatti's triumph in the title role at the first performance immediately propelled him to the front rank of Italian opera singers. He went on to become Italy's greatest Wagnerian tenor, rather than a verismo-opera specialist. Apart from Borgatti, famous Chéniers in the period between the opera's premiere and the outbreak of World War II included Francesco Tamagno (who studied the work with Giordano), Bernardo de Muro, Giovanni Zenatello, Giovanni Martinelli, Aureliano Pertile, Francesco Merli, Beniamino Gigli, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi and Antonio Cortis. Enrico Caruso also gave a few performances as Chénier in London in 1907. Post-war, Franco Corelli, Richard Tucker and Mario Del Monaco were the most famous interpreters of the title role during the 1950s and 1960s. In addition to four arias for the principal tenor ("Un dì all'azzurro spazio"; "Io non amato ancor"; "Si, fui soldato"; "Come un bel dì di maggio"), the opera contains a well-known aria ("La mamma morta") for the soprano heroine, which was featured in the film Philadelphia (the Maria Callas version is used on the soundtrack.) Also worth noting are the baritone's expressive monologue "Nemico della patria" and the final, rousing, soprano–tenor duet for the two leads as they prepare to face the guillotine ("Vicino a te").

Titolo: Turandot Dramma lirico in tre atti e cinque quadri Musica di Giacomo Puccini (L’ultimo duetto e il finale dell’opera sono stati completati da Franco Alfano.) Libretto di Giuseppe Adami e Renato Simoni Premiere: 25 Aprile 1926, Milano (La Scala) Lingua: Italiano Sottotitoli: Nessuno Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/puccini/turandot/synopsis/ Libretto: https://www.opera-arias.com/puccini/turandot/libretto/ English Translation: https://www.opera-arias.com/puccini/turandot/libretto/english/ Personaggi & Interpreti: La Principessa Turandot: Ghena Dimitrova L’Imperatore Altoum: Sergio Bertocchi Timur, Re tartaro spodestato: Kurt Rydl Il Principe Ignoto (Calaf), suo figlio: Placido Domingo Liù, giovine schiava: Katia Ricciarelli Ping, Gran Cancelliere: Rolando Panerai Pang, Gran Provveditore: Ernesto Gavazzi Pong, Gran Cuciniere: Florindo Andreolli Un Mandarino: Franco De Grandis Prima ancella: Milena Pauli Seconda ancella: Mildela D'Amico Il principe di Persia: Saverio Porzano Concertatore e direttore d'orchestra: Lorin Maazel Direttore del coro: Giulio Bertola Regia e scene di Franco Zeffirelli Costumi di Anna Anni e Dada Saligeri Corpo di Ballo del Teatro alla Scala Terza rappresentazione, 13 Dicembre 1983 Stagione d'Opera e Balletto 1983/1984

Title: La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo Composer: Giaochino Rossini Librettist: Jacopo Ferretti Premiere: 25 January 1817, Rome (Teatro Valle) Language: Italian Subtitles: None Cast & Characters: Cenerentola - Karine Deshayes Don Ramiro - René Barbera Dandini - Efraín Solís Alidoro - Christian Van Horn Clorinda - Maria Valdes Tisbe - Zanda Švēde Don Magnifico - Carlos Chausson San Francisco Opera Orchestra & Chorus Conductor: Jesús López-Cobos Stage Director: Gregory Fortner The production revived is the 1967 design by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo ("Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant") 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 (first performed Paris, 1810) and by Francesco Fiorini for Agatina, o la virtù premiata [it] with music by Stefano Pavesi (first performed Milan, 1814). 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.

Un docufilm del 1999 con la Regia di Francesco Barilli.

Title: Il fanatico burlato Composer: Cimarosa Domenico Libretto: Francesco Saverio Zini Act II: https://rumble.com/v6y7mg2-cimarosa-il-fanatico-burlato-act-ii-drottningholm-slottsteater-1983-ger-sub.html Interpreters: Björn Asker, Ursula Reinhardt-Kiss, Magnus Linden, Francis Egerton, Ulla Severin, Stefan Dahlberg. Orchestra of the Drottningholm Slottsteater Conductor: Carlo Felice Cillario Stage Director: Peter Oskarsson Il fanatico burlato is a dramma giocoso in two acts by Domenico Cimarosa with a libretto by Francesco Saverio Zini. It was first performed at the Teatro del Fondo in Naples in the spring of 1787. It was later revised and translated into German and performed as Der adelsüchtige Bürger in Mannheim in 1791. The story revolves around the protagonist Don Fabrizio, an eccentric baron of the phantom territory of Cocomero, who is seduced by his daughter's lover and, in a Turkish farce, is named Grand Mammalucco.

Title: Un Ballo in Maschera Melodrama in three acts Composer: Giuseppe Verdi Librettist: Antonio Somma Premiere: 17 February 1859, Rome (Teatro Apollo) Language: Italian Subtitles: English, Italian (click on CC) Performance of January 31, 1978 Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Theatre Cast & Characters: Riccardo: Luciano Pavarotti Renato: Piero Cappuccilli Amelia: Mara Zampieri Ulrica: Elena Obraztsova Oscar: Daniela Mazzucato Silvano: Luigi De Corato Samuel: Luigi Roni Tom: Giovanni Foiani A judge: Gianfranco Manganotti Amelia's Servant: Regolo Romani Concertmaster and Conductor: Claudio Abbado Director: Franco Zeffirelli Set Designer: Renzo Mongiardino Costumes Designer: Enrico Job Choreography Designer: Mario Pistoni Stage Director: Tito Varisco Season: 1977/1978 Un ballo in maschera ('A Masked Ball') is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué. The plot concerns the assassination in 1792 of King Gustav III of Sweden who was shot, as the result of a political conspiracy, while attending a masked ball, dying of his wounds thirteen days later. It was to take over two years between the commission from Naples, planned for a production there, and its premiere performance at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 17 February 1859. In becoming the Un ballo in maschera which we know today, Verdi's opera (and his libretto) underwent a significant series of transformations and title changes, caused by a combination of censorship regulations in both Naples and Rome, as well as by the political situation in France in January 1858. Based on the Scribe libretto and begun as Gustavo III set in Stockholm, it became Una vendetta in domino set in Stettin, and finally Un ballo in maschera set in Boston during the colonial era. It became one of the most frustrating experiences of Verdi's career. From the mid-20th century, it has become more common for the setting to revert to its original 18th-century Stockholm location. The opera has become a staple of the repertoire and is now performed frequently. Notes: The file is directly from La Scala TV and it is not compressed. The audio and video quality reflects the television standards of the time.

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi Librettist: Francesco Maria Piave Premiere: 14 March 1847, Teatro della Pergola, Florence (Original Version in Italian) Language: Italian Subtitles: Italian, English (click on CC for subtitles) Macbeth Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/verdi/macbeth/synopsis/ Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala Concertmaster and conductor: Claudio Abbado Chorus director: Romano Gandolfi Stage Director: Giorgio Strehler Sets and costumes: Luciano Damiani Mime movements: Marise Flach Cast & Characters: Macbeth: Piero Cappuccilli Banco: Nicolaj Ghiaurov Lady Macbeth: Shirley Verrett Lady Macbeth's Lady: Stefania Malagú Macduff: Veriano Luchetti Malcolm: Antonio Savastano Doctor: Giovanni Foiani Macbeth's Servant: Carlo Meliciani Hitman: Giuseppe Morresi First Appearance: Alfredo Giacomotti Second Appearance: Milena Pauli Third Appearance: Enrico Mazzola Recorded Live: Saturday, June 30, 1979 (Sixth performance) TV Director: Carlo Battistoni Season: 1979 Teatro alla Scala Season number: 390 First performance date: Tuesday, April 24, 1979 Teatro alla Scala Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. Written for the Teatro della Pergola in Florence, Macbeth was Verdi's tenth opera and premiered on 14 March 1847. It was the first Shakespeare play that Verdi adapted for the operatic stage. Almost twenty years later, Macbeth was revised and expanded into a French version and given in Paris on 21 April 1865. The first version of Macbeth was completed during the time that Verdi described as his "galley years," which ranged over 16 years and one that saw the composer produce 22 operas. By the standards of the subject matter of almost all Italian operas during the first fifty years of the 19th century, Macbeth was highly unusual. The 1847 version was very successful, and it was presented widely. The 1865 revision, produced in a French translation and with several additions, was first given on 21 April. It was less successful, and the opera largely faded from public view until the mid-20th century revivals. In Italian, the opera was given at La Scala in the autumn of 1865, but few, if any, others in Italy appear to have been presented. Since its revival in Europe in the 1960s, the revised version of Macbeth in Italian remains the preferred version for modern performances, although usually, the death scene from the first version is often interpolated in the last act.

1. "Pari Siamo!" (From Rigoletto) 2. "Cortigiani, vil razza dannata" (From Rigoletto - Staged for TV) 3. "Mio padre!... Dio! mia Gilda!", "Tutte le feste al tempio" with Renata Scotto (From Rigoletto - Staged for TV) 4. "Si, vendetta..." with Renata Scotto (From Rigoletto - Staged for TV) 5. "Vanne...Credo in un Dio crudel." (From Otello - BBC Studios 1958) 6. "Nulla...Silenzio..." (From Il Tabarro - Recital RAI 1963) 7. "Tre sbirre...Va Tosca! (Te Deum) (From Tosca - BBC Studios 1965) 9. "Il balen del suo sorriso" (From Il Trovatore - Opera Live) 10. "Alzati...Eri tu..." (From Un Ballo in Maschera - Staged for TV) This is a collage that I put together with various video clips. I tried to improve the video&audio quality as much as I could.

An excerpt of a memorable performance from soprano Maria Callas at the São Carlos theater, on March 27, 1958, where she played Violetta in the opera "La Traviata", by Giuseppe Verdi, opposite tenor Alfredo Kraus, in the role of Alfredo.