Adina (opera)
Encyclopedia
Adina is an operatic farsa
in one act by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto
by Marchese Gherardo Bevilacqua-Aldobrandini. The opera develops the popular theme of the "abduction from the seraglio
".
The première took place on June 22, 1826, at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
, Lisbon
.
theatres. The plot is very similar to that of Francesco Basili
's 1819 opera, Il califfo e la schiava, for which the libretto was written by Felice Romani
, and some passages occur in both librettos - a mystery which has not yet been unravelled.
The opera was intended as a gift for a now unknown soprano who had apparently enthralled the superintendent with her performances at São Carlos. The contract Rossini made was for a quick completion of the work, and the opera was finished in 1818, but, as a result of this time constraint, not all of the music in the opera is entirely original. Rossini composed anew only four of the work's nine numbers: the Introduction, the disarming Cavatina for Adina "Fragolette fortunate" (Lucky little strawberries), the Quartet, and the Finale; for three others he turned to his own Sigismondo
of 1814; the remaining two were written by a collaborator.
Rossini did not write an overture for the opera because no overture was specified in the contract, and he took little interest in the project. There is no apparent explanation for the eight-year gap between completion and first performance.
.
Music historians have noted that the music of Adina is of slightly more serious nature than what is typical of other one-act operas of its time, especially one designated a "farsa". Some critics have described the opera as more of a semiserious opera in the "rescue" genre
. Music critics praise the opera for avoiding pure archetypes and successfully achieving a unified style.
Farsa
Farsa is a genre of opera, associated with Venice in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is also sometimes called farsetta....
in one act by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Marchese Gherardo Bevilacqua-Aldobrandini. The opera develops the popular theme of the "abduction from the seraglio
Seraglio
A seraglio or serail is the sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines in a Turkish household. The word comes from an Italian variant of Turkish saray, from Persian sarai , meaning palace, or the enclosed courts for the wives and concubines of the harem of a house or palace...
".
The première took place on June 22, 1826, at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos is an opera house in Lisbon, Portugal. It was opened on July 30, 1793 by Queen Maria I as a replacement for the Tejo Opera House, which was destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake...
, Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
.
Composition history
Adina was commissioned in 1818 by Diego Ignazio de Pina Manique, police superintendent of Lisbon and inspector of PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
theatres. The plot is very similar to that of Francesco Basili
Francesco Basili
Francesco Basili was an Italian composer and conductor. He was born in Loreto and died in Rome.-References:...
's 1819 opera, Il califfo e la schiava, for which the libretto was written by Felice Romani
Felice Romani
Felice Romani was an Italian poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Donizetti and Bellini. Romani was considered the finest Italian librettist between Metastasio and Boito.-Biography:Born Giuseppe Felice Romani to a bourgeois family in Genoa,...
, and some passages occur in both librettos - a mystery which has not yet been unravelled.
The opera was intended as a gift for a now unknown soprano who had apparently enthralled the superintendent with her performances at São Carlos. The contract Rossini made was for a quick completion of the work, and the opera was finished in 1818, but, as a result of this time constraint, not all of the music in the opera is entirely original. Rossini composed anew only four of the work's nine numbers: the Introduction, the disarming Cavatina for Adina "Fragolette fortunate" (Lucky little strawberries), the Quartet, and the Finale; for three others he turned to his own Sigismondo
Sigismondo
Sigismondo is an operatic 'dramma' in two act by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa.The opera was not a success and Rossini later re-used some of its music in Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, The Barber of Seville, and Adina.-Performance history:Sigismondo was first...
of 1814; the remaining two were written by a collaborator.
Rossini did not write an overture for the opera because no overture was specified in the contract, and he took little interest in the project. There is no apparent explanation for the eight-year gap between completion and first performance.
Performance history
After the opera's initial première it was not revived again until 1963, when it was performed at the Accademia Chigiana of SienaSiena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
.
Music historians have noted that the music of Adina is of slightly more serious nature than what is typical of other one-act operas of its time, especially one designated a "farsa". Some critics have described the opera as more of a semiserious opera in the "rescue" genre
Rescue opera
Rescue opera was a popular genre of opera in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in France and Germany. Generally, rescue operas deal with the rescue of a main character from danger and end with a happy dramatic resolution in which lofty humanistic ideals triumph over base motives...
. Music critics praise the opera for avoiding pure archetypes and successfully achieving a unified style.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, June 22, 1826 (Conductor: ) |
|---|---|---|
| Adina, a slave-girl | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Luisa Valesi |
| Selimo, her former lover | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Luigi Ravaglia |
| The Caliph, the unknown father of Adina | bass | Giovanni Orazio Cartagenova |
| Ali, a young Arab | bass | Gaspare Martinelli |
| Mustafa, gardener of the seraglio | bass | Filippo Spada |
| Male chorus | ||
Recordings
| Year | Cast: Il Califfo, Adina, Selim, Ali |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Bruno Praticò, Alessandra Ruffini, Claudio Di Segni, Alfonso Antoniozzi |
Evelino Pidò, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma Teatro dell'Opera di Roma The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat Costanzi Theatre, it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements... Orchestra and Chorus (Video recording of a performance in the Teatro Valle, Rome, May) |
DVD: House of Opera Cat: DVDCC 110 |
| 2003 | Marco Vinco, Joyce DiDonato Joyce DiDonato Joyce DiDonato is an award-winning American operatic mezzo-soprano particularly admired for her interpretations of the works of Handel, Mozart, and Rossini... , Raúl Giménez, Saimir Pirgu Saimir Pirgu Saimir Pirgu is an Albanian opera tenor.He first learned the violin, before he moved to Bozen, Italy, where Vito Brunetti discovered his tenor voice.... |
Renato Palumbo, Teatro Comunale di Bologna Teatro Comunale di Bologna The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy, and is one of the most important opera venues in Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season.... Orchestra and the Prague Chamber Chorus (Recording of a performance in the Auditorium Pedrotti, Pesaro, August) |
CD: Celestial Audio Cat: CA 456 |