Francesca da Rimini (Mercadante)
Francesca da Rimini is an 1831 opera by Saverio Mercadante to a libretto by Felice Romani based on Silvio Pellico's play which had already been set twice and ultimately was set by fifteen composers. It was to be premiered in Madrid in 1831, but the premiere was cancelled and the opera lost.[1]
Francesca da Rimini | |
---|---|
Opera by Saverio Mercadante | |
![]() The composer, by Cefaly | |
Librettist | Felice Romani |
Language | Italian |
Based on | Silvio Pellico's play |
Premiere | 2016 Palazzo Ducale in Martina Franca |
It was rediscovered and performed in July 2016 at the Palazzo Ducale in Martina Franca for the Festival della Valle d'Itria.[2][1][3] The Austrian premiere was played on 28 December 2022 at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl, conducted by Giuliano Carella.[4] In cooperation, and with the same scenic design, the German premiere was held on 26 February 2023 at the Oper Frankfurt.[5] The opera was directed by Hans Walter Richter and conducted by Ramón Tebar, with Jessica Pratt in the title role, Kelsey Lauritano as Paolo and Theo Lebow as Lanclotto.[5][6]
Roles
Role | Voice type |
---|---|
Francesca | soprano |
Paolo, her brother-in-law and lover | contralto |
Lanciotto, her husband | tenor |
Guido, her father | bass |
Isaura, her confidant | soprano |
Guelfo, Paolo's confidant | tenor |
Recording
The 2016 world premiere was recorded as DVD, with Leonor Bonilla, Aya Wakizono, Merto Süngü, Antonio Di Matteo, Larisa Martinez and Iván Ayón-Rivas, the Coro della Filarmonica di Stato "Transilvania" di Cluj-Napocathe and the Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia, conducted by Fabio Luisi, released by Dynamic in 2017.
References
- Quitta, Robert (19 August 2016). "Dantes Wind verwehte den Fluch". Die Presse (in German). Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- Fiorito, Lorenzo (6 August 2016). "Mercadante's Francesca da Rimini makes a world debut in Martina Franca". bachtrack.com. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- Richter, Elisabeth (17 September 2016). "Dem Inferno entrissen". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- "Francesca da Rimini". Tiroler Festspiele Erl. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- "Francesca da Rimini". Oper Frankfurt. 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- Fuhrmann, Wolfgang (28 February 2023). "Zum Liebesduett reicht eine Harfe". FAZ (in German). Retrieved 25 April 2023.