Amica (opera)
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| Operas by Pietro Mascagni |
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Cavalleria rusticana (1890) |
- For the insurance company, see Amica Mutual Insurance.
Amica is an opera in two acts by Pietro Mascagni, originally composed to a libretto by Paul Bérel (the pseudonym of Paul de Choudens). The only opera by Mascagni with a French libretto, it was an immediate success with both the audience and the critics on its opening night at the Théâtre du Casino in Monte-Carlo on March 16, 1905. Mascagni himself conducted the performance. The opera had its Italian premiere (with an Italian libretto by Mascagni's close collaborator, Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti) on May 15, 1905 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome.
However, like many of Mascagni's operas apart from Cavalleria rusticana, the work then fell into obscurity. One of its few revivals in modern times was on August 4, 2007 at the Festival della Valle d'Itria, using the original French libretto (it has been released on CD, see below). In October 2008, Opera di Roma will be using the Italian libretto for a new production of Amica in collaboration with Opéra de Monte-Carlo and the Teatro Carlo Goldoni in Livorno.
Set in the mountains of Savoy around 1900, Amica is a classic Verismo drama. It recounts a domestic tragedy involving two brothers (Giorgio and Renaldo) and the woman they both love (Amica).
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[edit] Roles
- Amica (soprano) created by Geraldine Farrar
- Giorgio (tenor) created by Charles Rousselière
- Renaldo (baritone) created by Maurice Renaud
- Père Camoine (bass) created by Henri-Alexandre Lequien
- Magdelone (soprano) created by Paola Rainaldi
[edit] Recordings
- in Italian: Katia Ricciarelli, Fabio Armiliato, Walter Donati, Elia Padovan, Hungarian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. Conductor: Marco Pace. Released 1996. Kicco Classic 00296
- in the original French: Anna Malavasi, David Sotgiu, Pierluigi Dilengite, Marcello Rosiello, Francesca De Giorgi, Festival della Valle d'Itria, Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia, Bratislava Chamber Choir. Conductor: Manlio Benzi. Digital live recording. Released 2008. Dynamic CDS 574
[edit] Sources
- George Jellinek, Recording review, Opera News, November 1996
- Alan Mallach, Pietro Mascagni and His Operas, UPNE, 2002, pp 165-169 (ISBN 1555535240)
[edit] External links
- Libretto in Italian at Mascagni.org
- Opera di Roma website
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