La pietra del paragone
Encyclopedia
La pietra del paragone is an opera
, or melodramma
giocoso, in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, to an original Italian
libretto
by Luigi Romanelli.
, Milan
, on 26 September 1812. It was the composer's first commission from a major opera house and was an instant success, being performed fifty three times during its first season.
Napoleon's Viceroy in Milan Eugene Beauharnais was so impressed by the opera that he wrote to the Minister of the Interior "You will kindly arrange for Maestro Joachin Rossini to be exempted from military service. I cannot take it upon myself to expose to the enemy's fire such a precious existence; my contemporaries would never forgive me. We are perhaps losing a mediocre soldier, but we are surely saving a man of genius for the nation."
The first performance of the opera in Rio de Janeiro was in 1826. Despite its early success in Europe the work did not receive its North American premiere until 1955 and the British premiere professional was at the St. Pancras Town Hall in 1963. In more recent times, Eduardo De Filippo
and Paolo Tomaselli directed a production for the Piccola Scala in 1982, which later toured to the Edinburgh International Festival
and the Teatro Donizetti
in Bergamo
. At various times, the cast included Margherita Guglielmi, Julia Hamari
, Alessandro Corbelli
, Claudio Desderi and Justino Diaz
, conductor Roberto Abbado
.
Asdrubale enlists the help of his majordomo Fabrizio to test the genuineness of the ladies' emotions. When most of the guests happen to be together with the Count, Fabrizio produces an urgent letter which has apparently just arrived. On opening it Asdrubale reacts with a convincing show of horror and despair at its contents before hurrying away to his private rooms.
News rapidly spreads amongst the guests that the Count has been ruined. Fulvia and Aspasia cannot wait to leave, feeling that they have had a lucky escape. However, the arrival of an exotic oriental potentate is announced. He is Asdrubale's creditor, and in consequence now the owner of all of his property and possessions. Immediately most of the house guests transfer their attentions and flattery to the new arrival, failing to recognize that it is Asdrubale in heavy disguise and using a ridiculous fake accent.
Only Giocondo and Clarice demonstrate any concern for the Count. When he is finally persuaded to leave his private rooms (the "wealthy oriental creditor" having departed) they promise their continued loyalty and financial support. The other guests decline to offer any tangible help. At that moment Fabrizio bursts in and announces that Asdrubale's debts have miraculously been cleared and that he is once again a wealthy man. The general rejoicing contrasts with the consternation amongst those guests who realize that they have been tricked into revealing their falseness and base motives to the Count.
Asdrubale invites his guests to go hunting and Pacuvio further demonstrates his cowardly nature by panicking when a storm blows up and losing his gun and other possessions in a headlong dash back to the villa. Meanwhile Giocondo is continuing his amorous pursuit of Clarice, who is flattered by the young man's attentions and, although she loves the Count, offers no objections to Giocondo continuing his flirtatious advances. This last part of the conversation is overheard by Macrobio, who takes great delight in repeating it to the Count. Naturally, Asdrubale's jealousy flares up, much to Clarice's annoyance.
Clarice decides that, as her love has been tested by the Count, she will test him in return. She informs him that her twin brother has just returned from military service and is coming to the villa to find her.
Word of the fictional duel in which they had both apparently been humiliated has now reached the Count and Giocondo, and they are determined on revenge. They corner Macrobio and force him to admit that he is a pathetic, ignorant coward. Having achieved this groveling surrender, all is forgiven and forgotten.
Clarice enters disguised as her twin, complete with a retinue of soldiers. "He" announces that he has had "his sister" taken away and the Count will never see her again. Asdrubale is distraught and once again locks himself in his private rooms, threatening suicide. As a final act he asks Fabrizio to deliver a note to the young officer for Clarice, regretting his ridiculous jealousy. Clarice realizes that she has achieved her victory and sends the note back with her signature on it. The Count recognizes the signature and comes rushing from his rooms.
To general amazement Clarice throws off her disguise and the lovers are finally reconciled. The Count orders a celebration feast and all the guests head off to toast the happy couple and enjoy the promised banquet.
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...
, or melodramma
Melodramma
Melodramma is an Italian term for opera, used in a much narrower sense by English writers to discuss developments in the early 19th century Italian libretto...
giocoso, in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, to an original Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
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 Luigi Romanelli.
Performance history
La pietra del paragone was first performed at La ScalaLa 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...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, on 26 September 1812. It was the composer's first commission from a major opera house and was an instant success, being performed fifty three times during its first season.
Napoleon's Viceroy in Milan Eugene Beauharnais was so impressed by the opera that he wrote to the Minister of the Interior "You will kindly arrange for Maestro Joachin Rossini to be exempted from military service. I cannot take it upon myself to expose to the enemy's fire such a precious existence; my contemporaries would never forgive me. We are perhaps losing a mediocre soldier, but we are surely saving a man of genius for the nation."
The first performance of the opera in Rio de Janeiro was in 1826. Despite its early success in Europe the work did not receive its North American premiere until 1955 and the British premiere professional was at the St. Pancras Town Hall in 1963. In more recent times, Eduardo De Filippo
Eduardo De Filippo
Eduardo De Filippo was an Italian actor, playwright, screenwriter, author and poet, best known for his Neapolitan works Filumena Marturano and Napoli Milionaria.-Biography:...
and Paolo Tomaselli directed a production for the Piccola Scala in 1982, which later toured to the Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around the middle of August. By invitation from the Festival Director, the International Festival brings top class performers of music , theatre, opera...
and 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 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...
. At various times, the cast included Margherita Guglielmi, Julia Hamari
Julia Hamari
Julia Hamari, originally Hamari Júlia , is a Hungarian mezzo-soprano and alto singer in opera and concert, appearing internationally. She is an academic voice teacher in Stuttgart.- Professional career :...
, Alessandro Corbelli
Alessandro Corbelli
Alessandro Corbelli is an Italian baritone opera singer. One of the world's preeminent singers specializing in Mozart and Rossini, Corbelli has sung in many major opera houses around the world and won admiration for his elegant singing style and sharp characterizations, especially in comic...
, Claudio Desderi and Justino Diaz
Justino Díaz
Justino Díaz is an internationally renowned bass-baritone opera singer. In 1963, Díaz won an annual contest held at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, becoming the "first" Puerto Rican to obtain such an honor and as a consequence, made his Metropolitan debut on October 1963 in Verdi's Rigoletto...
, conductor Roberto Abbado
Roberto Abbado
Roberto Abbado is an Italian conductor. He is the son of musician Marcello Abbado and the nephew of conductor Claudio Abbado...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, September 26, 1812 (Conductor: Alessandro Rolla Alessandro Rolla Alessandro Rolla was widely acknowledged in his time as a violin and, especially, viola virtuoso, composer and teacher. His contribution to technique, repertoire and history of music is greatly underestimated... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Count Asdrubale | bass | Filippo Galli Filippo Galli (bass) Filippo Galli was an Italian opera singer who began his career as a tenor in 1801 but went on to become one of the most acclaimed basses of the Bel Canto era, with a voice known for its wide range, extreme agility, and expressivity, and a remarkable gift for acting-Early life:Born in Rome, Galli... |
| Clarice | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
Marietta Marcolini Marietta Marcolini Marietta Marcolini was an Italian operatic contralto.Marcolini was born in Florence. The date of her stage debut is unknown but she was appearing in Venice in 1800... |
| Giocondo | 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... |
Claudio Bonoldi |
| Pacuvio | 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... |
Pietro Vasoli |
| Donna Fulvia | 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... |
Orsola Fei |
| Macrobio, a journalist | baritone | Antonio Parlamagni |
| Baroness Aspasia | 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... |
Carolina Zerbini |
| Fabrizio | bass | Paolo Rossignoli |
| Gardeners, guests, soldiers, hunters | ||
Synopsis
The ‘’Touchstone’’ of the title is a plan devised by Count Asdrubale to test the sincerity of Donna Fulvia, Baroness Aspasia and Marchioness Clarice, each of whom claims to love the wealthy nobleman.- Place: Count Asdrubale's villa in the country.
- Time: The early nineteenth century.
Act 1
Pacuvio is attempting to interest the other house guests in his tedious poetic verses, but everyone has other preoccupations and his endeavours are largely ignored. Asdrubale himself is deeply attracted to Clarice, but being pursued by three women at the same time, he is uncertain that he can trust any one of them. Furthermore Clarice is hotly pursued by the Count's friend Giocondo and which of the two men she prefers is far from clear.Asdrubale enlists the help of his majordomo Fabrizio to test the genuineness of the ladies' emotions. When most of the guests happen to be together with the Count, Fabrizio produces an urgent letter which has apparently just arrived. On opening it Asdrubale reacts with a convincing show of horror and despair at its contents before hurrying away to his private rooms.
News rapidly spreads amongst the guests that the Count has been ruined. Fulvia and Aspasia cannot wait to leave, feeling that they have had a lucky escape. However, the arrival of an exotic oriental potentate is announced. He is Asdrubale's creditor, and in consequence now the owner of all of his property and possessions. Immediately most of the house guests transfer their attentions and flattery to the new arrival, failing to recognize that it is Asdrubale in heavy disguise and using a ridiculous fake accent.
Only Giocondo and Clarice demonstrate any concern for the Count. When he is finally persuaded to leave his private rooms (the "wealthy oriental creditor" having departed) they promise their continued loyalty and financial support. The other guests decline to offer any tangible help. At that moment Fabrizio bursts in and announces that Asdrubale's debts have miraculously been cleared and that he is once again a wealthy man. The general rejoicing contrasts with the consternation amongst those guests who realize that they have been tricked into revealing their falseness and base motives to the Count.
Act 2
Recriminations amongst the guests are rife. Fulvia and Aspasia urge Pacuvio and Macrobio to extract revenge on the Count and Giocondo by challenging them to a duel. Fortunately inherent cowardice prevails and by bluster and outright lying on the part of Pacuvio, confrontation is avoided.Asdrubale invites his guests to go hunting and Pacuvio further demonstrates his cowardly nature by panicking when a storm blows up and losing his gun and other possessions in a headlong dash back to the villa. Meanwhile Giocondo is continuing his amorous pursuit of Clarice, who is flattered by the young man's attentions and, although she loves the Count, offers no objections to Giocondo continuing his flirtatious advances. This last part of the conversation is overheard by Macrobio, who takes great delight in repeating it to the Count. Naturally, Asdrubale's jealousy flares up, much to Clarice's annoyance.
Clarice decides that, as her love has been tested by the Count, she will test him in return. She informs him that her twin brother has just returned from military service and is coming to the villa to find her.
Word of the fictional duel in which they had both apparently been humiliated has now reached the Count and Giocondo, and they are determined on revenge. They corner Macrobio and force him to admit that he is a pathetic, ignorant coward. Having achieved this groveling surrender, all is forgiven and forgotten.
Clarice enters disguised as her twin, complete with a retinue of soldiers. "He" announces that he has had "his sister" taken away and the Count will never see her again. Asdrubale is distraught and once again locks himself in his private rooms, threatening suicide. As a final act he asks Fabrizio to deliver a note to the young officer for Clarice, regretting his ridiculous jealousy. Clarice realizes that she has achieved her victory and sends the note back with her signature on it. The Count recognizes the signature and comes rushing from his rooms.
To general amazement Clarice throws off her disguise and the lovers are finally reconciled. The Count orders a celebration feast and all the guests head off to toast the happy couple and enjoy the promised banquet.
Recordings
| Year | Cast: Asdrubale, Clarice, Giocondo, Pacuvio |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | John Reardon, Beverly Wolff, José Carreras José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as José Carreras , is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini... , Justino Díaz Justino Díaz Justino Díaz is an internationally renowned bass-baritone opera singer. In 1963, Díaz won an annual contest held at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, becoming the "first" Puerto Rican to obtain such an honor and as a consequence, made his Metropolitan debut on October 1963 in Verdi's Rigoletto... |
Newell Jenkins, New York Clarion Concerts Orchestra and Chorus |
Audio CD: Vanguard Classics Cat: 08-9031-73 |
| 2002 | Marco Vinco, Carmen Oprisanu, Raúl Giménez, Bruno De Simone |
Carlo Rizzi Carlo Rizzi (conductor) Carlo Rizzi is an Italian conductor.Rizzi studied music at the Milan Conservatory. He later was a conducting student of Vladimir Delman, in Bologna, and with Franco Ferrara in Siena. His opera conducting debut was in 1982, with Donizetti's L'ajo nell'imbarazzo... , Orchestra – Orchestra of 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.... and Prague Chamber Chorus (Recording of a performance at the Rossini Festival, Pesaro, August) |
Audio CD: Rossini Opera Festival Cat: ROF 11053 |
| 2007 | François Lis, Sonia Prina, José Manuel Zapata, Christian Senn |
Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Ensemble Matheus and the Chorus of Teatro Regio di Parma Teatro Regio di Parma Teatro Regio di Parma is a famous 19th century opera house and opera company in Parma, Italy. The theatre was originally known as the Teatro Ducale.... (Video recording made at performances in the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, January) |
DVD: Naïve Cat: V 5089 |