Mirandolina
Encyclopedia
Mirandolina is a comic opera
in three acts by Bohuslav Martinů
, with a libretto (in Italian
) by the composer after Carlo Goldoni
's comedy The Mistress of the Inn
(1751).
The opera was written in 1953-4. It incorporates in places stretches of spoken dialogue between the characters, against an orchestral background. The opera was premiered on 17 May 1959 at the Prague National Theatre, Czechoslovakia
(shortly before the composer's death), when it was conducted by Václav Kašlik. More recent productions have included a revival in the 2002 season of the Wexford Festival
; the Belarus National Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Riccardo Frizza.
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
in three acts by Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Martinu
Bohuslav Martinů was a prolific Czech composer of modern classical music. He was of Czech and Rumanian ancestry. Martinů wrote six symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. Martinů became a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic...
, with a libretto (in 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...
) by the composer after Carlo Goldoni
Carlo Goldoni
Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays of Goldoni for their ingenious mix of wit and honesty...
's comedy The Mistress of the Inn
The Mistress of the Inn
The Mistress of the Inn , also translated as The Innkeeper Woman or Mirandolina , is a 1753 three-act comedy by the Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni about a coquette. The play has been regarded as his masterpiece...
(1751).
The opera was written in 1953-4. It incorporates in places stretches of spoken dialogue between the characters, against an orchestral background. The opera was premiered on 17 May 1959 at the Prague National Theatre, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
(shortly before the composer's death), when it was conducted by Václav Kašlik. More recent productions have included a revival in the 2002 season of the Wexford Festival
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 17 May 1959 (Conductor: Václav Talich Václav Talich Václav Talich was a Czech conductor, violinist and pedagogue.- Life :Born in Kroměříž, Moravia, he started his musical career in a student orchestra in Klatovy. From 1897 to 1903 he studied at the conservatory in Prague with Otakar Ševčík... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Mirandolina, an inn-keeper | 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... |
Maria Tauberová Maria Tauberová Maria Tauberová was a Czech opera singer who had an active international career from the 1930s through the 1970s. A lyric coloratura soprano with an excellent technique, she possessed a warm bright voice that was even in all registers. She was particularly admired for her portrayal of Mozart... |
| Ortensia, an actress | soprano | Stepánka Stepánová |
| Dejanira, an actress | 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... |
Jaroslava Procházková |
| Conte d'Albafloria | 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... |
Premysl Koci |
| Cavaliere di Ripafratta | 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... |
Ivo Zidek Ivo Zídek Ivo Žídek was a celebrated Czech lyric tenor, known for his vivid portrayals of character roles in the operas of Smetana, Dvorák and Janáček.-Early life:... |
| Marchese di Forlimpopoli | bass | Jaroslav Horacek |
| Fabrizio, a waiter | tenor | Oldrich Kovár |
Synopsis
Although Mirandolina the inn-keeper is courted by various noblemen, including the sardonic Ripafratta, she ends up marrying the waiter Fabrizio.Recording
The Wexford production was recorded by SupraphonSupraphon
Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
; the Belarus National Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Riccardo Frizza.
Sources
- New Grove Dictionary of OperaNew Grove Dictionary of OperaThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
- Review of opera on andante.com
- Martinu Institute website