Don Gregorio (opera)
Encyclopedia
Don Gregorio is an opera by Gaetano Donizetti
, adapted from his popular 1824 opera buffa
L'ajo nell'imbarazzo
, from a libretto by Jacopo Ferretti
. While L'ajo nell'imbarazzo enjoyed success at Teatro Valle
, it was not suited to the Teatro Nuovo in Naples, where Francesco Tortoli was interested in producing it. Donizetti signed a contract with Tortoli for 300 ducat
s to adapt L'ajo nell'imbarazzo into a new opera, Don Gregorio, and to compose one further opera. For the adaptation of L'ajo nell'imbarazzo, Donizetti would revise the recitative
s into spoken dialogue and translate the role of Don Gregorio into the Neapolitan dialect. The opera premiered at the Teatro Nuovo on 11 June 1826.
on 11 June 1826. That same year, it also was given at La Scala
. On 28 July 1846 it was first given in London, but "seems to have disappeared from view until it turned up again in Italy in the twentieth century". It was presented at the Teatro Donizetti
in the compopser's home town, Bergamo
, in 1959, but a successful staging by the Wexford Festival in 1973 led to it appearing in four additional European cities between 1975 and 1990. Meanwhile, an Italian TV production had been broadcast in 1964
, but a new video recording was made from live performances given by the Teatro Donizetti in November 2007.
Marquis Giulio demands that his sons, Enrico and Pippetto, grow up in complete ignorance of all matters of the flesh. Yet Enrico has secretly married Gilda, and they even have a son. Exasperated by the life he's forced to lead, the youth begs the elderly tutor Gregorio for help, and has him meet his wife. When, however, the Marquis arrives, Gilda remains trapped in Gregorio's room. She worries, for she must nurse her child: Gregorio is forced to fetch the baby and bring it to her, hidden under his cloak. Leonarda, an old servant in the household, informs the Marquis of her suspiscions; he discovers Gilda, but is convinced she must be the tutor's lover. In the tempestuous scene that follows, involving all the characters, the truth finally comes out. The Marquis realizes his error, and decides to entrust his younger son, Pippetto, to Enrico, so that he might help him learn "the ways of the world."
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
, adapted from his popular 1824 opera buffa
Opera buffa
Opera buffa is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica’, ‘commedia per musica’, ‘dramma bernesco’, ‘dramma comico’, ‘divertimento giocoso' etc...
L'ajo nell'imbarazzo
L'ajo nell'imbarazzo
L'ajo nell'imbarazzo is a melodramma giocoso, or opera, in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, after the 1807 play by Giovanni Giraud...
, from a libretto by Jacopo Ferretti
Jacopo Ferretti
Jacopo Ferretti was an Italian writer, poet and opera librettist.He is most famous for having supplied the libretti for two operas by Rossiniand for five operas by Donizetti....
. While L'ajo nell'imbarazzo enjoyed success at Teatro Valle
Teatro Valle
The Teatro Valle is a theatre and former opera house in Rome, Italy.Commissioned by the Capranica family, the architect Tommaso Morelli designed the theatre which was built in 1726. It was inaugurated with the staging of the tragedy Matilde by Simon Falconio Pratoli...
, it was not suited to the Teatro Nuovo in Naples, where Francesco Tortoli was interested in producing it. Donizetti signed a contract with Tortoli for 300 ducat
Ducat
The ducat is a gold coin that was used as a trade coin throughout Europe before World War I. Its weight is 3.4909 grams of .986 gold, which is 0.1107 troy ounce, actual gold weight...
s to adapt L'ajo nell'imbarazzo into a new opera, Don Gregorio, and to compose one further opera. For the adaptation of L'ajo nell'imbarazzo, Donizetti would revise the recitative
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
s into spoken dialogue and translate the role of Don Gregorio into the Neapolitan dialect. The opera premiered at the Teatro Nuovo on 11 June 1826.
Performance history
Before the planned Naples production of L'ajo nell'imbarazzo in 1826, Donizetti revised the opera under the title of Don Gregorio, and under that name, it premiered at the Teatro Nuovo in NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on 11 June 1826. That same year, it also was given at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
. On 28 July 1846 it was first given in London, but "seems to have disappeared from view until it turned up again in Italy in the twentieth century". It was presented at the Teatro Donizetti
Teatro Donizetti
The Teatro Donizetti is an opera house in Bergamo, Italy. Built in the 1780s using a design by architect Giovanni Francesco Lucchini, the theatre was originally referred to as either the Teatro Nuovo or Teatro di Fiera. The first opera to be mounted at the theatre, Giuseppe Sarti's Medonte, re di...
in the compopser's home town, Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
, in 1959, but a successful staging by the Wexford Festival in 1973 led to it appearing in four additional European cities between 1975 and 1990. Meanwhile, an Italian TV production had been broadcast in 1964
, but a new video recording was made from live performances given by the Teatro Donizetti in November 2007.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 11 June 1826 (Conductor: -) |
|---|---|---|
| Don Gregorio | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
|
| Gilda | 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... |
|
| Leonarda | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
|
| Marchese Enrico | 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... |
|
| Don Giulio Antiquati | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
|
| Marchese Pippetto | tenor | |
Synopsis
- Time: Early nineteenth century
- Place: An Italian city
Marquis Giulio demands that his sons, Enrico and Pippetto, grow up in complete ignorance of all matters of the flesh. Yet Enrico has secretly married Gilda, and they even have a son. Exasperated by the life he's forced to lead, the youth begs the elderly tutor Gregorio for help, and has him meet his wife. When, however, the Marquis arrives, Gilda remains trapped in Gregorio's room. She worries, for she must nurse her child: Gregorio is forced to fetch the baby and bring it to her, hidden under his cloak. Leonarda, an old servant in the household, informs the Marquis of her suspiscions; he discovers Gilda, but is convinced she must be the tutor's lover. In the tempestuous scene that follows, involving all the characters, the truth finally comes out. The Marquis realizes his error, and decides to entrust his younger son, Pippetto, to Enrico, so that he might help him learn "the ways of the world."
Recordings
| Year | Cast (Gregorio Cordebono, Gilda Tallemanni, Leonarda, Marchese Enrico, Don Giulio Antiquati, Marchese Pippetto) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Paolo Bordogna, Elizaveta Martirosyan, Alessandra Fratelli, Giorgio Trucco, Giorgio Valerio, Livio Scarpellini |
Stefano Montanari, Bergamo Musica Festival Gaetano Donizetti Orchestra and Chorus (Recorded at performances at the Bergamo Musica Festival, 2–4 November) |
Audio CD: Dynamic (record label) Dynamic (record label) Dynamic is an Italian independent record label located in Genoa. Founded in 1978, it specialises in classical music and opera, especially rarely performed works and has produced several world premiere recordings... Cat: 33579 |