Zanetto
Encyclopedia
Zanetto is an opera
in one act by Pietro Mascagni
to an Italian libretto
by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti
and Guido Menasci
. It received its first performance on 2 March 1896 at the Liceo Musicale Rossini
in Pesaro
. Only 40 minutes long and with cast of two singers, Zanetto was originally described by its composer as a scena lirica (lyric scene) rather than an opera. It is set in the countryside near Florence
during the Renaissance
and tells the story of an encounter between a beautiful courtesan, Silvia, and a young wandering minstrel, Zanetto. The libretto was adapted from an Italian translation by Emilio Praga of François Coppée
's play Le passant (The passer-by) in which the young Sarah Bernhardt had won fame in the en travesti
role of Zanetto.
, which had premiered in 1890. However, the Renaissance setting of Zanetto was a far cry from the gritty contemporary story he used for Cavalleria rusticana, the work that made him famous. By 1893, Mascagni was simultaneously working on three operas: Vistilia, based on a novel by Rocco de Zerbi set in ancient Rome; Guglielmo Ratcliff
, which he had first started composing in 1882; and Zanetto, which his publisher, Edoardo Sonzogno
, envisioned being performed in future double bills with Cavalleria. Mascagni finally finished Zanetto in October 1895. It was premiered on 2 March 1896 as part of the annual celebrations in honour of Rossini's birthday at the Liceo Musicale Rossini in Pesaro, where Mascagni was now the director. Two of the conservatory's students, Maria Pizzagalli and Stefania Collamarini, sang the roles of Silvia and Zanetto. The opera was then staged at La Scala
on 18 March with the same cast. Although the opera had been enthusiastically received in Pesaro, the reception at La Scala was lukewarm. Edoardo Pompei, a music critic and early biographer of Mascagni, ascribed this to the slightness of the work which was magnified in large theatre such as La Scala accustomed to grandiose productions:
Despite its reception at La Scala, the work was performed throughout Italy in smaller theatres during the year following its premiere. It was also performed in a private performance in London
by the Ravogli sisters, Sofia and Giulia in 1896. Zanetto had its US premiere on 8 October 1902 at the old Metropolitan Opera House
conducted by Mascagni with Elena Bianchini-Cappelli as Silvia and Eugenia Mantelli
as Zanetto. As at La Scala, the reception was mixed. The New York Times critic pronounced the music as "sonorous, mellifluous, and melodious" and praised the performances of Bianchini-Cappelli and Mantelli, but concluded that "outside of Italy, Zanetto can never become more than a mild curtain-raiser".
Premieres in the other major Italian opera houses came rather sporadically: 1905 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome
, 1913 at La Fenice
in Venice
, 1920 at the Teatro Regio in Turin
, and 1940 at the Teatro Comunale
in Florence
. More recently, the opera was performed at the New Jersey State Opera
in 1988, the Teatro Comunale in Florence in 1996 (with Sonia Ganassi
as Zanetto), the Teatro Astor in Savona
in 2003, the Teatro Goldoni in Livorno
in 2007, and New York's Carnegie Hall
in 2007 (in a concert performance with Jennifer Larmore
as Zanetto). A new production is scheduled for summer 2012 at Opera Holland Park
in London, when it will be paired with Gianni Schicchi
by Puccini.
The setting of the 2003 performance in Savona (preserved on DVD) was updated to the 20th century, with an ending that deviated considerably from the original libretto. In the original after renouncing her love for young Zanetto and sending him away, Sylvia weeps alone as she watches him disappear in the distance. However, the Savona director, Beppe De Tomasi, had Sylvia pull out a pistol and shoot herself instead. A brief section of the final music in the scene had to be played twice to accompany the extra stage-business involved in Sylvia's suicide.
The following synopsis was published in the souvenir libretto printed for the New York premiere of Zanetto in 1902:
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 one act 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...
to an Italian 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 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...
and Guido Menasci
Guido Menasci
Guido Menasci was an Italian opera librettist.His best known work is Cavalleria rusticana written with Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti. He also provided the libretti for Mascagni's I Rantzau, Zanetto, for Umberto Giordano's Regina Diaz and Viktor Parma's Stara pesem .Menasci was born in...
. It received its first performance on 2 March 1896 at the Liceo Musicale Rossini
Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini"
The Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini" is a music conservatory in Pesaro, Italy. Founded in 1869 with a legacy from the composer Gioachino Rossini, the conservatory officially opened in 1882 with 67 students and was then known as the Liceo musicale Rossini...
in Pesaro
Pesaro
Pesaro is a town and comune in the Italian region of the Marche, capital of the Pesaro e Urbino province, on the Adriatic. According to the 2007 census, its population was 92,206....
. Only 40 minutes long and with cast of two singers, Zanetto was originally described by its composer as a scena lirica (lyric scene) rather than an opera. It is set in the countryside near Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
during the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and tells the story of an encounter between a beautiful courtesan, Silvia, and a young wandering minstrel, Zanetto. The libretto was adapted from an Italian translation by Emilio Praga of François Coppée
François Coppée
François Edouard Joachim Coppée was a French poet and novelist.-Biography:He was born in Paris to a civil servant. After attending the Lycée Saint-Louis he became a clerk in the ministry of war, and won public favour as a poet of the Parnassian school. His first printed verses date from 1864...
's play Le passant (The passer-by) in which the young Sarah Bernhardt had won fame in the en travesti
En travesti
Travesti is a theatrical term referring to the portrayal of a character in an opera, play, or ballet by a performer of the opposite sex. Some sources regard 'travesti' as an Italian term, some as French. Depending on sources, the term may be given as travesty, travesti, or en travesti...
role of Zanetto.
Background and performance history
Zanetto represented a return by Mascagni to the one-act format of his first opera Cavalleria rusticanaCavalleria 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...
, which had premiered in 1890. However, the Renaissance setting of Zanetto was a far cry from the gritty contemporary story he used for Cavalleria rusticana, the work that made him famous. By 1893, Mascagni was simultaneously working on three operas: Vistilia, based on a novel by Rocco de Zerbi set in ancient Rome; Guglielmo Ratcliff
Guglielmo Ratcliff
Guglielmo Ratcliff is a tragic opera in four acts by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Andrea Maffei, translated from the German play Wilhelm Ratcliff by Heinrich Heine...
, which he had first started composing in 1882; and Zanetto, which his publisher, Edoardo Sonzogno
Edoardo Sonzogno
Edoardo Sonzogno was an Italian publisher.A native of Milan, Sonzogno was the son of a businessman who owned a printing plant and bookstore; when he inherited the business upon his father's death he set about turning it into a publishing house, Casa Sonzogno, which opened in 1874...
, envisioned being performed in future double bills with Cavalleria. Mascagni finally finished Zanetto in October 1895. It was premiered on 2 March 1896 as part of the annual celebrations in honour of Rossini's birthday at the Liceo Musicale Rossini in Pesaro, where Mascagni was now the director. Two of the conservatory's students, Maria Pizzagalli and Stefania Collamarini, sang the roles of Silvia and Zanetto. The opera was then staged 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 18 March with the same cast. Although the opera had been enthusiastically received in Pesaro, the reception at La Scala was lukewarm. Edoardo Pompei, a music critic and early biographer of Mascagni, ascribed this to the slightness of the work which was magnified in large theatre such as La Scala accustomed to grandiose productions:
"It would be as if one presented a miniature from a fourth-floor window and then expected the public to appreciate it from the street."
Despite its reception at La Scala, the work was performed throughout Italy in smaller theatres during the year following its premiere. It was also performed in a private performance 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...
by the Ravogli sisters, Sofia and Giulia in 1896. Zanetto had its US premiere on 8 October 1902 at the old Metropolitan Opera House
Metropolitan Opera House (39th St)
The Metropolitan Opera House was an opera house located at 1411 Broadway in New York City. Opened in 1883 and demolished in 1967, it was the first home of the Metropolitan Opera Company.-History:...
conducted by Mascagni with Elena Bianchini-Cappelli as Silvia and Eugenia Mantelli
Eugenia Mantelli
Eugenia Mantelli was an Italian opera singer who had a prolific career in Europe, the United States, and South America from the 1880s through the early part of the twentieth century...
as Zanetto. As at La Scala, the reception was mixed. The New York Times critic pronounced the music as "sonorous, mellifluous, and melodious" and praised the performances of Bianchini-Cappelli and Mantelli, but concluded that "outside of Italy, Zanetto can never become more than a mild curtain-raiser".
Premieres in the other major Italian opera houses came rather sporadically: 1905 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome
Rome
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...
, 1913 at La Fenice
La Fenice
Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, 1920 at the Teatro Regio in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, and 1940 at the Teatro Comunale
Teatro Comunale Florence
The Teatro Comunale di Firenze is an opera house in Florence, Italy. It was originally built as the open-air amphitheatre, the Politeama Fiorentino Vittorio Emanuele which was inaugurated on 17 May 1862 with a production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and which seated 6,000 people...
in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. More recently, the opera was performed at the New Jersey State Opera
New Jersey State Opera
The New Jersey State Opera is an opera company based in Newark, New Jersey. It was established in 1964 as the Opera Theater of Westfield, and shortly after opening Alfredo Silipigni was hired as Artistic Director. The name was changed to the Opera Theatre of New Jersey in 1965, and in 1968 the...
in 1988, the Teatro Comunale in Florence in 1996 (with Sonia Ganassi
Sonia Ganassi
Sonia Ganassi is an Italian mezzo-soprano. She made her debut as Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. She has performed in many of the world’s famous opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, the Royal Opera House in London and the Teatro alla Scala, Milan. She is best...
as Zanetto), the Teatro Astor in Savona
Savona
Savona is a seaport and comune in the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea....
in 2003, the Teatro Goldoni in Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
in 2007, and New York's Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in 2007 (in a concert performance with Jennifer Larmore
Jennifer Larmore
Jennifer Larmore is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer, noted for coloratura and bel canto.- Career :Jennifer Larmore is an American mezzo-soprano, well known for her versatility, natural beauty and stage craft...
as Zanetto). A new production is scheduled for summer 2012 at Opera Holland Park
Opera Holland Park
Opera Holland Park is a summer opera company which produces an annual season of opera performances staged under a temporary canopy in Holland Park, a public park in a wealthy district of west central London of the same name. The venue is fully covered but is open at the sides.The canopy was...
in London, when it will be paired with Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with...
by Puccini.
The setting of the 2003 performance in Savona (preserved on DVD) was updated to the 20th century, with an ending that deviated considerably from the original libretto. In the original after renouncing her love for young Zanetto and sending him away, Sylvia weeps alone as she watches him disappear in the distance. However, the Savona director, Beppe De Tomasi, had Sylvia pull out a pistol and shoot herself instead. A brief section of the final music in the scene had to be played twice to accompany the extra stage-business involved in Sylvia's suicide.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 2 March 1896 (Conductor: Pietro Mascagni) |
|---|---|---|
| Silvia, a courtesan | 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 Pizzagalli |
| Zanetto, a young poet and minstrel | 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... |
Stefania Collamarini |
Synopsis
Setting: the Tuscan countryside during the RenaissanceThe following synopsis was published in the souvenir libretto printed for the New York premiere of Zanetto in 1902:
- Silvia is the rich and beautiful hostess of a country hotel, who has been besieged by lovers of almost every description, she repulses them all, because although they may be well-to-do and even wealthy and powerful, they have not pleased her fancy or awakened her heart. At last she forswears love entirely, being convinced that her destiny is to remain single.
- Still, she remembers a youth she once saw, and believes that he lives near by, in Florence, toward which city she idly looks out in the summer evening from the veranda of her hotel, placed on the side of a steep mountain.
- As she looks she hears the voice of a roving minstrel who is approaching. She conceals herself. He comes near, and not venturing to enter the hotel, lies down to sleep on a bench. He is soon asleep; and Silvia comes near to see him. She recognizes in him her ideal; and at once loves him. She wakes him up, and he sees in her the madonna of his dreams.
- He is fond of his freedom, and of his own way of living; but thinks it would be nice to have a home, and a sister. This does not suit Silvia; who then conceals her identity; and says that she is a widow, and very poor; and cannot possibly entertain a wandering poet. After several refusals, he tells her that he has heard of Silvia, who is also beautiful, as well as rich, and liberal. He asks his newly-beloved to help him find her. She advises him not to go, that she would do anything to save him from his danger. Although both love each other she is unwilling to let herself be known. He believes in her sincerity; and offers to go in any direction she may point out. She points toward the dawn; he dashes toward it; she watches him till out of sight; then burying her face in her hands exclaims:
- "Blessed art thou, O Love! Now can I weep again!"
Recordings
- 1969 - Tito Petralia (conductor), Orchestra Sinfonica della RAIRAIRAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
- Giuseppina Arista (Zanetto), Pia Malagrini (Silvia) - Live recording, Milan, 26 June 1969. Label: originally released on LP by MRF LP; reissued on CD by Nuova Era - 1986 - Mauro Ceccanti (conductor), Orchestra e Coro del Comitato Estate Livornese - Ambra Vespasiani (Zanetto), Rita Lantieri (Silvia) - Live recording, Livorno, Teatro di Villa Mimbelli, 30 July 1986. Label: Bongiovanni CD
- 2003 - Bruno Aprea (conductor), Orchestra Sinfonica di Savona - Romina Basso (Zanetto), Denia Mazzola GavazzeniDenia MazzolaDenia Mazzola - Gavazzeni, is an operatic soprano, born February 4, 1953 in Bergamo, Italy.- Life :She studied at the Conservatory of Verona under Rina Malatrasi, Rodolfo Celletti and Leyla Gencer...
(Silvia) - Live recording, November 2003, Teatro Astor, Savona. Label: Kicco Classic DVD - 2007 - Peter Tiboris (conductor), Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic - Jennifer LarmoreJennifer LarmoreJennifer Larmore is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer, noted for coloratura and bel canto.- Career :Jennifer Larmore is an American mezzo-soprano, well known for her versatility, natural beauty and stage craft...
( Zanetto), Eilana Lappalainen (Silvia) - Studio recording, 2007. Label: Elysium Records CD
Sources
- Casaglia, Gherardo, Zanetto, Almanacco Amadeus. Accessed 21 February 2010.
- Finck, Henry T., "Mascagni in America", The Independent, October 30, 1902. Accessed 21 February 2010.
- Gelli, Piero (ed.), "Zanetto", Dizionario dell'Opera, Baldini Castoldi Dalai, 2007, ISBN 8860731844. Accessed online 21 February 2010.
- Gooding, Wayne, Recording review: Zanetto (Elysium GRK 727), Opera CanadaOpera Canada- Citations :-External links:****...
, June 2008. Accessed via subscription 21 February 2010. - Howell, Christopher Recording review: Zanetto (KCOU9005), Musicweb International, February 2009. Accessed 21 February 2010.
- Holland, Bernard, "2 Rareties in New Jersey", New York Times, 12 October 1988. Accessed 21 February 2010.
- Mallach Alan, Pietro Mascagni and his operas, UPNE, 2002, pp. 153-154. ISBN 1555535240
- New York Times, Mascagni's Opera "Zanetto" A Qualified Success at the Teatro della Scala in Milan, 19 March 1896, p.5. Accessed 21 February 2010.
- New York Times, The Singers and Actors, 5 July 1896, p. 10. Accessed 21 February 2010.
- New York Times, Mascagni's Opening at The Opera House "Zanetto" and "Cavalleria Rusticana" Are Rendered, 9 October 1902, p. 8. Accessed 21 February 2010.
- Pugliaro, Giorgio (ed.), Opera 2008. Annuario dell'opera lirica in Italia, EDT srl, 2008, p. 106. ISBN 8860403677
- Pugliaro, Giorgio (ed.), Opera '96. Annuario dell'opera lirica in Italia, EDT srl, 1996, p. 82. ISBN 8870632784
- Stivender, David, "The Genesis of a Masterpiece: Notes on Guglielmo Ratcliff", Essay accompanying the recording of Guglielmo Ratcliff by the RAI OrchestraRAIRAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
conducted by Armando La Rosa Parodi (MRF-57-Sof) 1963. Accessed 21 February 2010.
External links
- Complete text of Le passant by François Coppée, the French play on which Zanetto was based.
- Complete libretto of Zanetto in Italian and English on Project Gutenberg.