Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali
Encyclopedia
Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali (Conventions and Inconveniences of the Stage), also known as Viva la mamma, is a dramma giocoso
, or opera
, in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti
. The Italian
libretto was written by Domenico Gilardoni, adapted from Antonio Simone Sografi's plays Le convenienze teatrali (1794) and Le inconvenienze teatrali (1800).
The title refers to the convenienze
, which were the rules relating to the ranking of singers (primo, secondo, comprimario) in 19th-century Italian opera, and the number of scenes, arias etc. that they were entitled to expect.
on November 21, 1827. Donizetti revised it and added recitatives and material from Le inconvenienze teatrali; this final version premiered at the Teatro alla Cannobiana
, Milan
on April 20, 1831.
Convenienze had its first major modern revival in 1963 in Sienna
, and has subsequently appeared in a number of translations and under various titles, most notably as Viva la mamma, a German adaptation presented in Munich in 1969
.
In the UK, the first staged performance was not given until 9 April 1976 by an amateur company, the Harrow Opera Workshop, but that performance had been preceded by a 1969 BBC broadcast under the name of Upstage and Dowstage and in 1972 Opera Rara
produced the one-act version in English as The Prima Donna's Mother is a Drag. In the US, the first production was given in Terre Haute, Indiana
on 2 April 1966
A 2004 production at the Opera of Monte Carlo starred June Anderson
. In October, 2009, the opera was performed at La Scala
as Le Convenienze ed Inconvenienze Teatrali, under the direction of Marco Guidarini.
A regional (and mediocre) operatic troupe is rehearsing a new work -- Romulus and Ersilia -- and faces numerous obstacles. The Prima Donna acts every bit the diva, refusing to rehearse. The German tenor cannot master either the lyrics or melodies. In the midst of much quarrelling, various singers threaten to walk out. The situation turns more dire with the arrival of Mamma Agatha (a baritone role), the mother of the Seconda Donna. She insists on a solo for her daughter and even issues detailed demands on the musical arrangement of the aria. When the German tenor refuses to go on, he is replaced by the Prima Donna's husband. The show eventually collapses, and rather than pay back all the investors (whose money has already been spent), the company flees the town under cover of night.
Dramma giocoso
Dramma giocoso is the name of a genre of opera common in the mid-18th century. The term is a contraction of "dramma giocoso per musica" and is essentially a description of the text rather than the opera as a whole...
, or opera
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 two acts by Gaetano Donizetti
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...
. The 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 was written by Domenico Gilardoni, adapted from Antonio Simone Sografi's plays Le convenienze teatrali (1794) and Le inconvenienze teatrali (1800).
The title refers to the convenienze
Convenienze
Convenienze were the rules relating to the ranking of singers in 19th-century Italian opera, and the number of scenes, arias etc...
, which were the rules relating to the ranking of singers (primo, secondo, comprimario) in 19th-century Italian opera, and the number of scenes, arias etc. that they were entitled to expect.
Performance history
The opera was originally a one act farsa based on Le convenienze teatrali; this version premiered at the Teatro Nuovo, 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 November 21, 1827. Donizetti revised it and added recitatives and material from Le inconvenienze teatrali; this final version premiered at the Teatro alla Cannobiana
Teatro Lirico (Milan)
The Teatro Lirico is a theatre in Milan, Italy. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it was particularly notable for opera performances, including the world premieres of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore and Giordano's Fedora. The theatre, located on Via Rastrelli, closed in 1998...
, 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 April 20, 1831.
Convenienze had its first major modern revival in 1963 in Sienna
Sienna
Sienna is a form of limonite clay most famous in the production of oil paint pigments. Its yellow-brown colour comes from ferric oxides contained within...
, and has subsequently appeared in a number of translations and under various titles, most notably as Viva la mamma, a German adaptation presented in Munich in 1969
.
In the UK, the first staged performance was not given until 9 April 1976 by an amateur company, the Harrow Opera Workshop, but that performance had been preceded by a 1969 BBC broadcast under the name of Upstage and Dowstage and in 1972 Opera Rara
Opera Rara
Opera Rara is a British record label, founded in the early 1970s by Americans Patric Schmid and Don White to promote concerts of rare and/or forgotten operas by Giacomo Meyerbeer and Donizetti and such other "bel canto" composers as Giovanni Pacini, Saverio Mercadante, and Federico Ricci.The...
produced the one-act version in English as The Prima Donna's Mother is a Drag. In the US, the first production was given in Terre Haute, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
on 2 April 1966
A 2004 production at the Opera of Monte Carlo starred June Anderson
June Anderson
June Anderson is a Grammy Award-winning American coloratura soprano. Originally known for bel canto performances of Rossini, Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini, she was the first non-Italian ever to win the prestigious Bellini d'Oro prize...
. In October, 2009, the opera was performed 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...
as Le Convenienze ed Inconvenienze Teatrali, under the direction of Marco Guidarini.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, Final revision 20 April 1827 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Daria Garbinati, prima donna | 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... |
Fanny Corri-Paltoni Fanny Corri-Paltoni Fanny Corri-Paltoni was a celebrated English operatic soprano active in Europe between 1818 and 1835. It was said that she possessed a voice of remarkable beauty and that she had a fine singing technique. She particularly excelled in the operas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Gioachino... |
| Procolo, her husband | bass | |
| Biscroma Strappaviscere, conductor, (literally, bowel ripper) |
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... |
|
| Donna Agata Scanagalli, Luigia's mother, a Neapolitan |
baritone | Gennaro Luzio |
| Luiga Castragatti, seconda donna, (literally, cat castrator) |
soprano | |
| Guglielmo Antolstoinoff, primo tenore, German |
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... |
Giuseppe Giordano |
| Cesare Salzapariglia, druggist and poet |
baritone | |
| Impresario | bass | |
| Director of the Theatre | bass | |
| Soldiers, servants, workmen | ||
Synopsis
- Time: 18th century
- Place: "A provincial Italian theatre"
A regional (and mediocre) operatic troupe is rehearsing a new work -- Romulus and Ersilia -- and faces numerous obstacles. The Prima Donna acts every bit the diva, refusing to rehearse. The German tenor cannot master either the lyrics or melodies. In the midst of much quarrelling, various singers threaten to walk out. The situation turns more dire with the arrival of Mamma Agatha (a baritone role), the mother of the Seconda Donna. She insists on a solo for her daughter and even issues detailed demands on the musical arrangement of the aria. When the German tenor refuses to go on, he is replaced by the Prima Donna's husband. The show eventually collapses, and rather than pay back all the investors (whose money has already been spent), the company flees the town under cover of night.
Recordings
| Year | Cast (L'Impresario, Prima Donna, Luigia, First Musician, Madama Agata) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Leo Nucci Leo Nucci Leo Nucci is an Italian operatic baritone, particularly suited to Verdi roles.Born at Castiglione dei Pepoli, near Bologna, he studied with Giuseppe Marchese and made his stage debut in Spoleto, as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, in 1967, he then joined the chorus of La Scala in Milan, and... , Daniela Mazzucato (Meneghini), Alberta Valentini, Laura Zannini, Giuseppe Taddei Giuseppe Taddei Giuseppe Taddei was an Italian baritone, who performed mostly the operas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giuseppe Verdi.... |
Carlo Franci Vienna State Opera Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian... Orchestra and Chorus (Recording of a performance in the Theater am Kornmarkt, Bregenz as part of the Bregenz Festival) |
Audio CD: Bella Voce Cat: BLV 107232 |
External links
- Libretto (two act version) (Italian)