Il birraio di Preston
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Original title: | Il birraio di Preston |
| Original language: | Italian |
| Music: | Luigi Ricci |
| Libretto : | Francesco Guidi |
| Premiere: | February 4, 1847 |
| Place of premiere: | Florence |
| Place and time of the action: | England 1745; the first act takes place in Preston , the second in the encampment of the royal army, the third at Windsor Castle |
| people | |
|
|
Il birraio di Preston (in contemporary orthography “birrajo”, German: The beer brewer of Preston ) is an opera buffa (original name: “melodramma giocoso”, “cheerful melodrama ”) in three acts by the Italian composer Luigi Ricci based on a libretto by Francesco Guidi . The world premiere took place at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence on February 4, 1847 .
The writer Andrea Camilleri published a novel with the same title in 1995 (German Die Sicilianische Oper ), the plot of which was inspired by a contested performance of this opera, which was played shortly after its inauguration in 1875 at the Teatro Regina Margherita in Caltanissetta , Sicily .
history
Rizzis birraio is the adaptation and new composition of a French opera comique for the Italian stage. Adolphe Adams Le brasseur de Preston based on a libretto by Léon-Lévy Brunswick and Adolphe de Leuven was premiered in 1838 at the Paris Opéra-Comique . Like a few weeks earlier the same theater premiered opera Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi was the birraio commissioned by the impresario Alessandro Lanari, the Teatro della Pergola headed at that time and was a fervent admirer of Italian independence movement.
The Italian libretto follows the plot of the original quite precisely, but transforms it into a typical Italian opera buffa with recitatives instead of the French dialogues. From the premier ténor of French opera, the title character becomes the Italian bass buffo. In addition, some of the less central parts are given their own musical numbers. The third act differs most. Here a duet of the two women fighting over Daniele has been added, and the work ends with a final aria by Effy's instead of the French tutti finale. In the third act there is also a Tobia – Daniele buffalo duo, which, according to the piano reduction, was added by the Sicilian composer Francesco Chiaromonte (1809–1886), apparently to meet the needs of the Italian audience for rough comedy.
The opera was successfully accepted in the first performance, and in the following decades it was re-performed at various opera houses in Italy, including Rome in 1854 under the title Il liquorista di Preston . In the performances after the First Italian War of Independence, censorship insisted on removing passages perceived as nationally patriotic in some places, especially in the second act. There is also evidence of a performance at London's St James's Theater in the autumn of 1857, and another in Australia in 1874.
action
first act
At his brewery in Preston, Daniele announces to his workers that he wants to celebrate his wedding to his fiancée Effy that same day. He entrusts his foreman with the organization of the party. Daniele is expecting his brother Giorgio for the feast, a lieutenant in the army whom he has not seen for two years. Giorgio and Daniele are absolutely identical looking twins.
The party is interrupted by the arrival of Sergeant Tobia, who reports that Giorgio has disappeared from the camp and was accused of desertion. Tobia is a close friend of Giorgio's because one day he saved his life. He searches for Giorgio to persuade him to rejoin the army before he is sentenced to death. Daniele decides to go to General Murgrave's camp with Effy and Tobia to implore his brother to be lenient.
Second act
In the camp, where Giorgio's condemnation is imminent, General Murgrave is visited by Captain Oliviero. Oliviero reports that his sister Anna was seduced by an officer Murgraves, who then disappeared without marrying her. Anna is sad, but still loves the seducer. Oliviero and Murgrave deduce from a portrait in their possession that it is Giorgio.
When Daniele arrives at the camp, he is mistaken for his brother. So it is decided that he will take on the role of Giorgio in order to save him from the impending death sentence with his supposed return. Daniele, awkward and scared, reluctantly complies. Oliviero and Anna also think he's Giorgio. Oliviero wants to duel with him while Anna receives him lovingly. Daniele treats Oliviero's sister with tenderness and thus provokes Effy's jealousy. Anna suspects that Effy is a lover of Giorgio, because of which he left her. The announcement of the next battle bursts into the misunderstandings. The terrified Daniele wants to refuse to take part, but Tobia, who fears that the fraud would be exposed, forces him to go at gunpoint.
Third act
Daniele emerged victorious from the battle thanks to the cleverness of Giorgio's horse and is hailed like a hero in Windsor Castle. Murgrave chooses Daniele against his will for the next difficult mission.
Effy and Tobia try to convince Murgrave not to use Daniele by raising important family matters. Anna and Oliviero also want to prevent his departure, the former in order to be able to marry him, the latter still eager to face him in a duel. Daniele has to navigate between Anna and Effy, under whom the bickering continues. To complicate the situation, an order arrives from the king approving Giorgio's marriage to Anna and stating that it must be carried out immediately.
Fortunately, Tobia brings good news: Giorgio did not desert but was captured by the enemy. He has since fled captivity and is on his way back.
Giorgio arrives just in time to secretly release his brother from the role-play before the wedding with Anna takes place. Daniele, now in civilian clothes again, can happily return to his Effy's arms.
Musical structure
first act
- Preludio
- Introduzione e Coro - Amici, alla fabbrica
- Cavatina - Di monete ho un qualche sacco (Daniele)
- Recitativo - O Bob, mi affido a te
- Canzonetta - La vecchia Magge (Effy)
- Scena e Duetto - Questa viva somiglianza (Effy, Daniele)
- Finale I.
Second act
- Scena e Cavatina - Anna si stempra in lagrime (Oliviero)
- Coro e Terzetto - Presto, presto, andiamo, andiamo (Daniele, Tobia, Effy)
- Canzone - Era Tom un dragone valente (Tobia)
- Recitativo - Io ve l'ho detto
- Terzetto - In un momento (Daniele, Tobia, Effy)
- Recitativo - The consiglio di guerra è sciolto
- Recitativo e Duetto - Vieni, vieni: omai paventa! (Daniele, Oliviero)
- Finale II
- Scena - Cielo, che vidi
- Coro - Corriamo all'armi
- Pezzo concertato - Per secondar l'intrepido
- Stretta del Finale II - è il cannone! ... è il cannone
Third act
- Coro d'introduzione e Recitativo - Onore! onore! onor
- Duetto - Va benone ... sì signore (Daniele, Tobia)
- Recitativo - Datemi, o valoroso
- Pezzo concertato - Fra tre ore partirete
- Recitativo - Per la mia patria anch'io
- Recitativo e Duetto - La vedremo ... la vedremo (Effy, Anna)
- Coro - Avete saputo la nuova ventura?
- Scena ed Aria finale - Deh! ch'ei non sia la vittima (Effy)
Web links
- Il birraio di Preston : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Libretto online in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b "Il birraio di Preston". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..
- ↑ Andrea Camilleri: Il birraio di Preston, Palermo (Sellerio) 1995, ISBN 88-389-1098-7 , epilogue
- ↑ Presentation of the theater on caltanissettaturismo.it ( Memento from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Libretto by Adams Le brasseur de Preston online (PDF; 1.6 MB)
- ↑ a b Francesco Izzo: Laughter Between Two Revolutions: Opera Buffa in Italy, 1831–1848, Rochester NY (Boydell & Brewer) 2013, ISBN 978-1-58046-293-8 , pp. 222–229, preview online at Google Books
- ^ Sebastian Werr: Musical Drama and Boulevard. French influences on Italian opera in the 19th century, Stuttgart and Weimar (JB Metzler) 2002, ISBN 3-476-45291-3 , pp. 159–173
- ↑ Francesco Florimo: Cenno storico sulla scuola musicale de Napoli Naples 1869, p. 857 Preview online at Google Books
- ↑ Libretto print of the performance, preview online at Google Books
- ^ The Athenaeum: Journal of Literature, Science, the Fine Arts, Music and the Drama, issue November 28, 1857, London 1857, preview online at Google Books
- ^ English libretto after the performance by the Grand Opera Company