Rossini, "La cambiale di matrimonio" Philharmonia Baroque Concert Congregational Church Berkeley
This concert never fails to please, to uplift my spirits and to inspire all present...Conducted by Nicholas McGegan, who in the preview remarks, revealed that he once visited the villa where the composer Rossini had lived. One of the singers he was working with in Europe, an American had rented the villa with her husband. He was shown the "death room" which remains as it was....after a sumptuous dinner.
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) wrote an opera, La cambiale di matrimonio, with a soprano, Jacqueline Piccolino, who plays the daughter, Fanni; and a mezzo, Clarina, who plays the good hearted servant, Nian Wang; Brian Thorsett, tenor, who plays Edoardo Milfort, the father; and Efrain Solis, a baritone, who plays, Slook,, the Canadian who has come to claim his "merchandise" a wife to return with him, to Canada and his fortunes; , Anthony Reed , bass, who sings the role of Norton, the beloved of the daughter, Fanni; and finally, Matthew Stump, bass, who sings the role of Tobia Mill, the helpful servant. It is an absolutely delightful play which resonates with the "North American", a Canadian, in Europe, and each misunderstanding the other's manners...and manner. True love triumphs or trumps! When Slook learns that the promised daughter, has a true love in her lover, he resolves the contract with the father by adopting Norton and making him his heir and blessing the marriage of Fanni, so the father must accept the new contract! The enactment is so humorous!
Rossini was in Naples when he wrote this opera, and there are attempts at the semi dialectical tradition in Naples. This opera is a youthful work written in his adolesence..."his talent for perfect proportions, the ease of composing and the magical simplicity of the writing, the freshness and the comic verve are all already budding...The resulting opera exudes freshness, comic verve, some short lived pathos(in Fanni) and in Clarina) and is an absolute delight that deserves far more attention than it usually receives."
A farsa is a short comic opera and this one certainly has comedic elements, which prove very entertaining and charm. The central concertato takes the dramatic function as well as the place of the first act finale, where it fulfills four conditions: it is central, its is larger, it is unique, and it has some kind of dramatic culminations in terms of tension and complication. The Teatro Giustiniani a San Moise in Venice was a small theater specializing in farse -- a perfect niche for training ofr the budding composer. The genre however declined and the theater was destroyed in 1818, some years after Rossini had created four other pieces in 1810-13,
Anyone who is interested should stay tuned to the KFDC broadcasts of Philharmonia Baroque to see if there is a broadcast in the future or in the archives.
La cambiale di matrimonio was a one act piece by the theater poet Gaetano Rossi (Vermona 1774-1855) one of the best wordsmiths of the time,; he was to write two more libretti for Rossini: Tancredi(1813) and the better known Semiramide (1823) which I saw at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC. He also wrote texts for two cantatas: La Santa Alleanza and Il vero omaggio (1822)
This opera performance was preceded by several beautiful pieces by Mozart. "Per questa bella mano" K 612 sung by Anthony Reed, bass and Kristin Zoernig, double bass. and an Overture in D Major, K. 106 followed by a Contredanse No. 1 in D Major K. 106 and "Nehmt meinen Dank", K 383 sung by Julie Adams, soprano. Then, Edward Nelson baritone, sang "Con un vezzo all'italiana" from La Finta Giardiniera, Contredanse No. 2 in A Major, K. 106. Last of all Contredanse No. 3 in B-flat major, K. 106, "Dite almeno, in che mancai" K 479 was sung by Julie Adams soprano, Britan Thorsett, tenor ; Edward Nelson, baritone, and Anthony Reed, bass. Absolutely enchanting!
Oh, I am so blessed that the Philharmonia Baroque makes its home in the bay area. What a pleasure! I remember how much I loved the baroque music each year in the Bach Festival of Chestnut Hill, in Philadelphia. I am certainly not at a loss here for early music concerts. They are my "church".
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) wrote an opera, La cambiale di matrimonio, with a soprano, Jacqueline Piccolino, who plays the daughter, Fanni; and a mezzo, Clarina, who plays the good hearted servant, Nian Wang; Brian Thorsett, tenor, who plays Edoardo Milfort, the father; and Efrain Solis, a baritone, who plays, Slook,, the Canadian who has come to claim his "merchandise" a wife to return with him, to Canada and his fortunes; , Anthony Reed , bass, who sings the role of Norton, the beloved of the daughter, Fanni; and finally, Matthew Stump, bass, who sings the role of Tobia Mill, the helpful servant. It is an absolutely delightful play which resonates with the "North American", a Canadian, in Europe, and each misunderstanding the other's manners...and manner. True love triumphs or trumps! When Slook learns that the promised daughter, has a true love in her lover, he resolves the contract with the father by adopting Norton and making him his heir and blessing the marriage of Fanni, so the father must accept the new contract! The enactment is so humorous!
Rossini was in Naples when he wrote this opera, and there are attempts at the semi dialectical tradition in Naples. This opera is a youthful work written in his adolesence..."his talent for perfect proportions, the ease of composing and the magical simplicity of the writing, the freshness and the comic verve are all already budding...The resulting opera exudes freshness, comic verve, some short lived pathos(in Fanni) and in Clarina) and is an absolute delight that deserves far more attention than it usually receives."
A farsa is a short comic opera and this one certainly has comedic elements, which prove very entertaining and charm. The central concertato takes the dramatic function as well as the place of the first act finale, where it fulfills four conditions: it is central, its is larger, it is unique, and it has some kind of dramatic culminations in terms of tension and complication. The Teatro Giustiniani a San Moise in Venice was a small theater specializing in farse -- a perfect niche for training ofr the budding composer. The genre however declined and the theater was destroyed in 1818, some years after Rossini had created four other pieces in 1810-13,
Anyone who is interested should stay tuned to the KFDC broadcasts of Philharmonia Baroque to see if there is a broadcast in the future or in the archives.
La cambiale di matrimonio was a one act piece by the theater poet Gaetano Rossi (Vermona 1774-1855) one of the best wordsmiths of the time,; he was to write two more libretti for Rossini: Tancredi(1813) and the better known Semiramide (1823) which I saw at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC. He also wrote texts for two cantatas: La Santa Alleanza and Il vero omaggio (1822)
This opera performance was preceded by several beautiful pieces by Mozart. "Per questa bella mano" K 612 sung by Anthony Reed, bass and Kristin Zoernig, double bass. and an Overture in D Major, K. 106 followed by a Contredanse No. 1 in D Major K. 106 and "Nehmt meinen Dank", K 383 sung by Julie Adams, soprano. Then, Edward Nelson baritone, sang "Con un vezzo all'italiana" from La Finta Giardiniera, Contredanse No. 2 in A Major, K. 106. Last of all Contredanse No. 3 in B-flat major, K. 106, "Dite almeno, in che mancai" K 479 was sung by Julie Adams soprano, Britan Thorsett, tenor ; Edward Nelson, baritone, and Anthony Reed, bass. Absolutely enchanting!
Oh, I am so blessed that the Philharmonia Baroque makes its home in the bay area. What a pleasure! I remember how much I loved the baroque music each year in the Bach Festival of Chestnut Hill, in Philadelphia. I am certainly not at a loss here for early music concerts. They are my "church".
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