L'amico Fritz
Encyclopedia
L'amico Fritz is an opera
in three acts by Pietro Mascagni
, premiered in 1891 from a libretto
by P. Suardon (Nicola Daspuro) (with additions by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti
), based on the French novel L'ami Fritz by Émile Erckmann
and Pierre-Alexandre Chatrian.
While the opera enjoyed some success in its day and is probably Mascagni's most famous work after Cavalleria rusticana
, today it is performed far more rarely than Cavalleria, which remains Mascagni's only enduringly popular work. The "Cherry Duet" between Fritz and Suzel in Act 2 is the best known piece in the opera.
at the Teatro Costanzi
, on 31 October 1891. Other first performances include those in Hamburg
on 16 January 1892 with Gustav Mahler
conducting; in London
on 23 May 1892 at the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden; and in
Australia
on 19 October 1893 at the Princess's Theatre in Melbourne
.
Fritz Kobus, a wealthy landowner is in discussion with his friend David, the local rabbi. Despite his disdain for marriage Fritz agrees to provide the dowry for a young couple. Fritz’s friends join him to celebrate his birthday. He is presented with a bouquet by Suzel, the daughter of one of his tenants. She joins the birthday celebration and is moved when the gypsy Beppe enters playing his violin. When Suzel leaves David comments that she will make a good bride and that he will find her a husband. Fritz protests that she is too young. They argue about marriage and Fritz bets David one of his vineyards that he will never marry.
Suzel is preparing to pick cherries as the farmers go out to the fields. Fritz approaches and helps her.. They sing of the enchantment of the spring and the flowers. Fritz’s friends arrive and Fritz leaves to look over the farms. David stays behind to talk to Suzel. When he suggests that she might be a bride, she becomes embarrassed and leaves. Fritz returns and David mentions that he thinks he has found the right man for Suzel to marry. Fritz becomes visibly upset and, left alone, realizes that he is in love with the girl.
Fritz cannot banish thoughts of Suzel. Beppe enters and attempts to cheer him up with a song, but Fritz becomes even more depressed. David arrives and tells Fritz that Suzel is engaged to a fine young man and her father will soon ask for Fritz’s blessing. Enraged, Fritz says that he will refuse and leaves. Suzel enters sadly but David insists that everything will be alright. He leaves her alone and she voices her despair and love for Fritz. Fritz enters and asks about her engagement. He quickly senses that she does not love her intended. Fritz reveals his feelings for her and the two admit their love. David enters and declares that he has won his wager with Fritz, telling him that he is going to give his winnings, Fritz’s vineyard, to Suzel as a wedding present.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in three acts by Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
, premiered in 1891 from 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 P. Suardon (Nicola Daspuro) (with additions by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti
Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti
Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti was an Italian librettist, best known for his friendship and collaboration with the composer Pietro Mascagni...
), based on the French novel L'ami Fritz by Émile Erckmann
Émile Erckmann
Émile Erckmann was a French writer, strongly associated with the region of Alsace-Lorraine. Almost all of his works were written jointly with Alexandre Chatrian under the name Erckmann-Chatrian.-Youth:...
and Pierre-Alexandre Chatrian.
While the opera enjoyed some success in its day and is probably Mascagni's most famous work after Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
, today it is performed far more rarely than Cavalleria, which remains Mascagni's only enduringly popular work. The "Cherry Duet" between Fritz and Suzel in Act 2 is the best known piece in the opera.
Performance history
The opera was first performed in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
at the Teatro Costanzi
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...
, on 31 October 1891. Other first performances include those in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
on 16 January 1892 with Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
conducting; in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 23 May 1892 at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, Covent Garden; and in
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on 19 October 1893 at the Princess's Theatre in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 31 October 1891 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Fritz Kobus, a wealthy landowner | 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... |
Fernando De Lucia Fernando De Lucia Fernando De Lucia was an Italian opera tenor and singing teacher who enjoyed an international career.... |
| Suzel, daughter of a tenant of Fritz | 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... |
Emma Calvé Emma Calvé Emma Calvé, born Rosa Emma Calvet , was a French operatic soprano.Calvé was probably the most famous French female opera singer of the Belle Époque. Hers was an international career, and she sang regularly and to considerable acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, and the Royal Opera... |
| Beppe, Fritz's friend, a gypsy | 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... |
|
| Federico, a friend to Fritz | tenor | |
| Hanezò, a friend to Fritz | bass | |
| David, a rabbi | 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... |
Paul Lhérie Paul Lhérie Paul Lhérie , was a French tenor, then baritone, later a vocal teacher, most famous for creating the role of Don José in Bizet's Carmen.-Life and career:... |
| Caterina, a servant | soprano |
Synopsis
- Time: indefinite; sometime in the 19th century
- Place: indefinite; probably somewhere in Alsace
Act 1
The dining room of Fritz Kobus’ houseFritz Kobus, a wealthy landowner is in discussion with his friend David, the local rabbi. Despite his disdain for marriage Fritz agrees to provide the dowry for a young couple. Fritz’s friends join him to celebrate his birthday. He is presented with a bouquet by Suzel, the daughter of one of his tenants. She joins the birthday celebration and is moved when the gypsy Beppe enters playing his violin. When Suzel leaves David comments that she will make a good bride and that he will find her a husband. Fritz protests that she is too young. They argue about marriage and Fritz bets David one of his vineyards that he will never marry.
Act 2
The courtyard of a farmSuzel is preparing to pick cherries as the farmers go out to the fields. Fritz approaches and helps her.. They sing of the enchantment of the spring and the flowers. Fritz’s friends arrive and Fritz leaves to look over the farms. David stays behind to talk to Suzel. When he suggests that she might be a bride, she becomes embarrassed and leaves. Fritz returns and David mentions that he thinks he has found the right man for Suzel to marry. Fritz becomes visibly upset and, left alone, realizes that he is in love with the girl.
Act 3
The dining room of Fritz Kobus’ houseFritz cannot banish thoughts of Suzel. Beppe enters and attempts to cheer him up with a song, but Fritz becomes even more depressed. David arrives and tells Fritz that Suzel is engaged to a fine young man and her father will soon ask for Fritz’s blessing. Enraged, Fritz says that he will refuse and leaves. Suzel enters sadly but David insists that everything will be alright. He leaves her alone and she voices her despair and love for Fritz. Fritz enters and asks about her engagement. He quickly senses that she does not love her intended. Fritz reveals his feelings for her and the two admit their love. David enters and declares that he has won his wager with Fritz, telling him that he is going to give his winnings, Fritz’s vineyard, to Suzel as a wedding present.
Recordings
| Year | Cast (Fritz, Suzel, Beppe, David) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Ferruccio Tagliavini Ferruccio Tagliavini Ferruccio Tagliavini was an Italian operatic tenor mainly active in the 1940s and 1950s... , Pia Tassinari Pia Tassinari Pia Tassinari was an Italian soprano and later mezzo-soprano, particularly associated with the Italian and French repertories.... , Amalia Pini, Saturno Meletti Saturno Meletti Saturno Meletti was an Italian operatic bass-baritone particularly associated with the standard Italian repertory and contemporary works.... |
Pietro Mascagni Pietro Mascagni Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music... RAI National Symphony Orchestra and Chorus RAI National Symphony Orchestra RAI National Symphony Orchestra is a major Italian symphony orchestra, based in Turin and owned by State radio and television company RAI.-History:... |
Audio LP: Cetra |
| 1968 | Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St... , Mirella Freni Mirella Freni Mirella Freni, birth name Mirella Fregni, is an Italian opera soprano whose repertoire includes Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Tchaikovsky... , Laura Didier Gambardella, Vicente Sardinero Vicente Sardinero Vicente Sardinero , né Sardinero-Puerto, was a Spanish operatic lyric baritone. Born in Barcelona, he made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in his native city in the 1964-65 season, as Escamillo in Carmen. He first appearance at the Teatro alla Scala was in 1967, as Enrico in Lucia di... |
Gianandrea Gavazzeni Gianandrea Gavazzeni Gianandrea Gavazzeni was an Italian pianist, conductor , composer and musicologist.Gavazzeni was born in Bergamo. For almost 50 years, starting from 1948, he was principal conductor at La Scala, Milan, in 1966-68 being its music and artistic director.He had his Metropolitan Opera debut on 11... Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Royal Opera, London The Royal Opera is an opera company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Covent Garden Opera Company, it was known by that title until 1968... |
Audio CD: EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... |
| 2009 | Roberto Alagna Roberto Alagna Roberto Alagna is a French-Italian tenor. He was born in Clichy-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Early years:Alagna was born outside of the city of Paris in 1963 to a family of Sicilian immigrants . As a teenager, the young Alagna began busking and singing pop in Parisian cabarets for tips... , Angela Gheorghiu Angela Gheorghiu Angela Gheorghiu is a Romanian soprano opera singer. Since her professional debut in 1990, she has sung as soprano leading roles at New York's Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden's Royal Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, Milan's La Scala, and many other opera houses in Europe and the United States... , Laura Polverelli, George Petean |
Alberto Veronesi Alberto Veronesi Alberto Veronesi is an Italian conductor. He is a student of Myung-Whun Chung-Discography:Veronesi began recording operas for Deutsche Grammophon in 2006 working with Placido Domingo in rarer verismo repertoire such as Puccini’s Edgar and rare Puccini arias and duets, Leoncavallo’s I Medici and La... Chorus and Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berlin is an opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, Germany. The resident building is also home to the Berlin State Ballet.-History:... |
Audio CD: Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label... |